Chrysalis
by TheIsolatedShadow
Summary: When an International college student takes a picture of a vigilante on the rooftops of New York, her world is made wider with the knowledge that mutants aren't just science fiction. Yet while she is trying to comprehend what she actually captured on her camera, her unwilling subject is getting frustrated that she is able to keep the photo hidden while he's trying to delete it.
1. Chapter 1

**I wrote like a dozen summaries before landing on that one; I never thought that one day I would be writing a LeonardoxOC fanfiction but here we are, all because of the 2014/2016 movies. Meow, I liked their version of Leo _very_ much (I know I'm weird let's just move on).**

 **This is set a year after the events of the second movie, so the Turtles and my character are of legal age. Ya know, this is rated M for a reason.**

 **I don't really know what college is like in America, so this is just an educated guess. I'm going to come back and rewrite the start of this chapter as I go along, as I've wrote this out like ten times and I still don't like it. This is the best one though but I'm definitely coming back.**

* * *

The sun was just beginning to set over the Atlantic when her plane landed.

Her parents thought the first thing she would do when she got off the plane was dance around JFK Airport and burst out into song like a musical on Broadway. Here she was, finally in New York City! If they knew her at all, they would have actually imagined her grabbing her suitcase, place her headphones into her ears to block out the surrounding noises and head straight for pickup without even glancing around.

She didn't want to be here. She wanted to be home, getting her last few years of education close by without having to sleep in a strange room in an unknown city thousands of miles away.

Her sister Irene, their parents pride and joy, didn't go to a completely different continent for the last few years of her education. Instead she stayed put, albeit across the country, became a lawyer and never left England.

Sophie sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She started to regret being such a hermit in her youth.

She grabbed the first taxi she could, taking her headphones out to give him the address of her new dormitory for the next four years after placing her suitcase in the trunk. The driver was a pleasant man-thank god, she didn't know what she would do if the first person she had met on her first day in America was an asshole-and chatted politely to her as he drove through the streets of New York.

 _I don't want to be here._

She reminded herself even as she pressed her hands to the window of the cab and peered out at the passing city streets in wonder. The people, the sights, the sounds made her stare in awe. She nearly forgot where she was until the driver spoke up, glancing at her through the rear-view mirror; "First time in th' city?"

A blush grew on her cheeks as she sat back, nearly sitting and crushing on her earphones still blasting _Imagine Dragons_ from the buds. She swiped them up and shoved them into her jacket pocket. "Uh, yeah." she replied.

"Ya here for college?" he asked next, his Brooklyn accent heavy. She nodded at him the minute he looked at her through the mirror. "I don't know why ya would pick this city, after what happened last year."

Ah yes, what happened last year. She remembered seeing it on the news; a portal to another dimension had opened up above the city of New York and had began spitting out pieces of metal to form a round sphere in the sky.

Two years before that Sacks Industries was reportedly going to release a deadly toxin into the atmosphere and then give people the antidote before it decimated the entire city's population. How many people would have died from that?

If it wasn't for the Falcon who saved them, somehow. The minute she had saw him on TV she had already made up his mind; that former cameraman the size of a twig did not go against the Foot Clan and Shredder by himself. He must have had help, someone or some people to do the brunt of the work, which he took full credit for.

They were passing it now, the building that used to be Sacks Industries, that had also nearly fell apart and destroyed most of the buildings and streets below. They had finished rebuilding the parts that had been ruined by the falling debris; roads, apartments, businesses, even the giant screen that had flashed with the year '2014' before it had been crushed.

New York was a hotspot for out-of-the ordinary bullshit, and for some reason her parents had convinced her to accept the application she had received from New York University which she was 100 percent certain she had not sent. They wanted her to explore as much of the world as possible, and by going to one of the biggest cities in the world was what they meant by 'getting out'.

The cab pulled up on the side of the road outside of Washington Square Park, and the driver was even generous enough to get her suitcase, backpack and carry on bag full of electronics out of the trunk for her. She thanked him, handing over her fair with a $50 dollar tip.

If she ran out of money she could just use the account her parents had set up for her use, placing $200 each week in for her. She may have hated her parents for being rich growing up-she certainly wasn't, she didn't make the money-but she appreciated that they remembered to give her it to live.

She stood on the side of the pavement as the cab drove away, rummaging through her carry on to find her map and personal booklet telling her where her room was located. It was awkward standing there, pack on her back, carry on thrown over her shoulder and her suitcase between her legs to stop someone from stealing it right from under her nose but it definitely wasn't the most weird thing ever to happen in New York, that was for sure.

"Where is it, where is-ah hah!" she pulled out the booklet first-blushing as heads turned in her direction-and began skim-reading to find the line which told her the Hall. "Okay, okay that is..."-she placed the paper back into her bag and pulled out the folded out map which had began to crease-"across the park and down the street. Great."

She shoved the map back into her bag and with as much dignity as she could muster, strolled across Washington Square Park. Students from all walks of life were huddled in groups; sitting under trees, on the grass, around the fountain, even on the cobbled pavement that went around the fountain. They ignored her as she walked, and she noticed to her relief that there were other people who were trying to find their way to their own Halls, carrying as many suitcases and bags she was.

Like she did back home, she walked across the street paying no attention to the people around her and keeping to herself as she made her way to the building her room was located in. She had to push past people until she made it inside and then had to try and get her keys from the desk that had been set up for the new students to collect their keys.

An older woman with large glasses and her greying hair pulled back into a bun was the person manning the table, and she nearly sighed in relief when she got to the front. "Name?" she asked.

"Sophie Ahrens." she replied. The woman flicked through the papers with the alphabetical list of students names and began searching for hers. It took only a few seconds, considering her name was at the top of the list, and the woman searched through the keys and located hers:

"Floor 7, Room 618." she said, handing it to her.

She took the key and smiled. "Thank you."

The woman let out a hum as a reply and Sophie carried her stuff to the elevator, thanking the gods and even some superheroes for the elevator being practically empty when she stepped inside and pressed the button for the seventh floor.

She tapped her foot as the elevator rose, nibbling at her bottom lip and tearing at the skin there. It was something she had to kick but like a smoking or drug addiction it was hard. Along with biting her fingernails, it was more anxiety based then a habit she had just picked up.

The doors opened and she dragged her luggage down the hallway. She could hear the laughing of people making new friends and music blaring from speakers as she past room after room. "615, 616, 617, 618!"

With a deep breathe, she placed her key into the lock and turned.

The room was wide but thin, not surprising because even though she was able to stop her parents from paying extra to get her own room-she didn't even know that was even possible-she knew that they made sure she got a big one. It was big enough that it was able to be split evenly in the middle so one side was hers and the other for her roommate, who had already arrived and had picked the left side of the room leaving the right for her.

Her roommate for the next four years was standing on her bed tucked in the corner, which was covered in a matching multi colour-red, green, blue, white-duvet and pillow, with a few cushions resting on the top. A desk and seat was at the bottom of the bed placed against the wall, with another opposite it for her.

She didn't have to pack anything big; her furniture, computer, even all the little things like her graphics tablet had been shipped in last week and had been set up by some of her father's American associates he had contacted. She closed the door and dropped her suitcase, bag and backpack gently onto the floor, gaining her roommates attention.

She found herself blinking at a ginger haired girl, her hair long and straight around her shoulders, who was staring back at her with light blue eyes. The first thing she noticed was that one, her green vest was see through and two, her nose and cheeks were covered in so many freckles it was almost adorable.

The girl smiled from her place on her bed. "Hi! I'm Sarah."

"Sophie." she stepped forward, crossing her arms across her chest. "What...what are you doing?"

"Oh!" her cheeks turned a deep pink as she glanced from her and back to the room's single window. "The room was a little bare so I was thinking we could put up some fairy lights? I should have waited to ask I know, but I already unpacked and had nothing to do, sorry! I-If you want me to take them down-"

"No, no!" she laughed nervously. "I think it's a great idea. Here, let me help you."

Sophie kicked off her shoes and jacket and stood on her bed, waiting for Sarah to hand her the lights, but all she did was stare, surprised. "Sorry, I just...thought it was weird putting them up and were waiting for you to ask me to take them down."

"Everyone's a little weird sometimes, some people more then others." she whispered with a small smile. "I think we're two of them."

Sarah smiled and the two got to work hanging the fairy lights around the window. A five minute job ended up taking two hours as they got to decorating the room, throwing suggestions left and right until their shared dorm room looked like a home. Sarah even helped her hang up her clothes in her wardrobe and drawers and place her personal items on her desk.

"And, lights!" Sarah threw her arms open and Sophie hit the switch. The fairy lights turned on, lightning up the dark night sky outside of their window. "It looks so good!"

"I know, right?" she walked to her bed and threw herself down on it, reaching for her Kodak camera which she had placed on her bedside table alongside her alarm clock and lava lamp.

"Four years of this! This is going to be the best time of my life!" Sarah threw herself down onto her own bed, laying on her back and staring up at the ceiling. "Maybe we should decorate the ceiling too. Would they allow us to do that?"

"I don't know, ask." she rolled onto her side and stared at her. "How-urm-" her roommate looked at her through a curtain of ginger. "How do I get up to the roof?"

"Why?" she asked. At first Sophie thought she was just being noisy, but the alarmed look in her blue eyes quickly threw away that idea. Just how many students had thrown themselves off college buildings the night they arrived?

She lifted her camera to draw her attention to it, and her roommate gasped in realisation. "Yeah, just wanted to take some pictures."

Sarah turned onto her side, leaning on her arm to hold herself up. "So you're a photography major?" she asked.

"Nah, just a hobby." she answered. "I use it for my art references-I'm not an art major."

She giggled in response. "I got that from your graphics tablet. So are you good? I'm not good enough to post my art online, but I think I'm good."

"Yeah, I guess. I sell my art online, well kind off, you pay a certain amount per month to access my art which I sometimes sell as posters or wallpaper. That's whats going to get me through college, with a little help from my parents." she rambled on and on, only stopping when she saw her new friends amused smile. "W-What about you?"

"Oh." this time she blushed. "I-I post covers of songs on YouTube in my spare time." she gestured to an unpacked box across the room shoved in the corner. "I still need to take everything out though, soundproof the walls and set up the microphone. I'm hoping to cover Hamilton over the next few weeks."

"Okay, tell me when you are so I can give you some space." she replied.

"Well, in that case you need my number." she pulled out her phone from her bedside table's drawer and handed it over. Sophie placed down her camera to take out her own phone and they swapped, typing out their numbers before handing them back to each other.

She placed it back onto her bedside table and grabbed her camera one more time. "So, roof?"

Sarah shook her head. "You can't. But I saw that an apartment across the street had a fire escape which you can use to get to the roof."

With a nod she sat and stood up, grabbing her shoes and slipping them onto her feet. "Okay, I'll be back."

"Hey, that reminds me!" Sarah sat up with a grin on her face. "Someone's having a party to welcome the new students tomorrow, want to go?"

The thought of socialising chilled her to the bone. She could handle one person, sure, but a crowd of people? That terrified her, but instead of voicing her fear she just smiled. "Sure."

"Great, I'll see you when you get back. Okay?" Sarah flopped back down and Sophie smiled, shrugging on her jacket and leaving her dorm room, gently closing the door behind her. Students new and old were conversing in the hallway, introducing themselves to one another, knocking on their neighbours doors and talking to the inhabitants inside.

How they were able to just casually speak to one another was beyond her.

She stepped into the elevator just before it closed and leaned back against the railings. Now that she wasn't carrying any bags she could move more freely, and that also meant leaning against the elevator walls without having to struggle to stand up straight again.

She pulled her earbuds and phone out of her pocket and placed them in her ears, choosing a song to listen to as the elevator doors opened. With a bounce in her step, she headed straight for the doors and left the building, walking into the dark crispy night.

There was no wind tonight, instead she could clearly hear the distant sounds of car horns and dogs barking as she walked across the street to the row of apartments that were off campus. She had heard rumours of Manhattan being one of the worse boroughs in NYC, but for her it was peaceful, even thought she had only been there for a few hours and had hardly left her room.

She jogged over to the alleyway between two apartment buildings and stopped under the fire-escape. Seeing that the ladder was out of reach, she let out a pissed off huff. She had to jump, meaning she had to _exercise_!

Making sure her phone was securely in her pocket and her camera was tightly attached to the strap around her neck she jumped as high as she could, taking hold of the ladder and dragging it down with her as she landed. The rusty metal squeaked as it were brought down to the floor with a bang against the concrete.

She winced, looking around to make sure she hadn't made too much noise before beginning to climb the fifteen levels to the rooftop.

New York City was beautiful at night, she realised when she reached the top, the blinding lights blending together to create a picture perfect city view. She could hardly believe her luck; she was going to produce great art when she begins recreating a digital version of the photos she was going to take.

One of Washington Square Park would do nicely as her starting place.

She removed her earbuds from her ear, pausing her music so she could get into the moment. She relied on the natural sound of her surroundings to capture the true essence of her photos, which she would then place into her art.

Quickly grabbing her camera and turning it on, she fiddled with the camera settings before placing it to her face so she could look through the viewfinder. She made sure the flash was on before she took the picture, the shutters clinking together.

 _Klurrk!_

She took a look at her photo and smiled. The streetlights helped make the image brighter, and she nodded in satisfaction. Maybe she could take a few more and compare...

A gust of wind blew her hair over her shoulder and she turned, staring into the distance at the dark rooftops she could hardly make out, regardless of the lights illuminating the streets. She was certain there was no wind before...

There!

Movement to her left, slowly making it's way to her right. She couldn't make out what it was, but she could take a picture and brighten it up with Photoshop to see what was there.

Knowing that she was running out of time, she pulled her camera to her face again and took a picture. The surroundings rooftops in front of her flooded with light before it quickly vanished as the shutters closed for a second time.

 _Klurrk!_

She removed the camera from her face and stared off into the darkness. No sound, no movement, no gust of wind. She ran a hand through her short, curly brown hair in annoyance. Damn, she was certain-

She looked down at the photo displayed on her camera.

Her eyes widened.

There, just in the picture's right side, was a person. Without the flash, she wouldn't have been able to make out who or what it was, but with the help of the illumination it revealed...

A turtle?

A giant, turtle with swords strapped to it's shell. It was tall, as tall as her even, with bulging biceps and thighs. It's large muscular arms were tense, she could make out the skin being strained and taut. The hidden, dark, sick side of her preened in excitement at how gorgeous it's body was. Minus the swords and strap keeping them attached to it's shell, it was also wearing what looked like a skirt, custom made footwear and a blue bandanna over it's eyes. Blue, cerulean eyes that had been looking straight at the camera.

And, to her horror, at her.

* * *

"Did you see that hot chick on the rooftop?" was the first thing out of Michelangelo's mouth as they slid down their makeshift water slide and into their Lair. "She was totally checking me out!"

"She wouldn't give you a second glance, numbnuts." his older brother Raphael spat, pushing the smaller turtle out of the way. Donatello let out a cough to grab their attention and pointed at the eldest brother, who was pacing in front of them, one hand wrapped around one of his katanas.

"How did she see us?! We're ninjas, we're supposed to fade away into the night without being seen-" he ranted.

The turtle known as Mikey snorted, pushing past him without a backwards glance. "Oh lighten up Leo, maybe she has hot friends!"

"Mikey, I don't think I made myself clear; _this girl saw us!"_ Leo ran a three fingered hand across his head in expiration. "She took our picture!"

" _Your_ picture." Raph corrected, ignoring the look he received from the leader of the team as he headed straight for his gym equipment.

"Maybe she didn't have the flash on?" Donnie suggested to his nervous ridden brother, both hands wrapped around his bo staff as he tried to comfort him.

"She was taking pictures in the middle of the night, Donatello, of course the flash was on!" Leo snapped. At Donnie's flinch he stopped in his tracks and sighed. "We have to delete that photo."

"You go do it, she took a picture of you not us!" Raphael replied. The very sudden taps of paws hitting the ground made all the turtles freeze in their tracks, slowly turning to look at the aged rat walking towards them, arms around his back.

"Someone saw you?" his deep voice was full with accusation.

Donnie was the first one to speak up, pushing his glasses back up his beak as they slid down. "Correction, someone saw _Leo_."

The surprised expression that graced his father's face make the eldest of the four brothers wince just before shooting a look at the purple clad ninja, who shrugged in response. "Leonardo, is this true?"

He let out a deep breathe. "Yes, Sensei."

"Then, what should you do about it?" was his next question. Leo dropped to a crouching position in front of their father, looking down at the floor in shame. He had broken the second trait of a ninja, albeit accidentally.

"I need to delete the photo from her camera," he replied, "without drawing her attention to my presence."

Donnie, who had now moved over to his desk full of screens, looked over his shoulder. "If you can get the SD card and bring it here I can quickly delete it before she even realises it's gone."

Leo smiled and nodded. "I'll do that."

Splinter sighed, rubbing his ageing beard in his paws. Maybe...

"If the girl sees you, you have my permission to tell her about our existence." Master Splinter brought his attention back to him. "We won't be able to reveal ourselves to her then leave without an explanation. It lacks honour. It is not the way of a ninja."

"Really, Master Splinter?" all the turtles-Raph who had been lifting weights, Mikey who had been digging into left over pizza and Donnie who had been tinkering with the broken toaster, again-looked up at their father in surprise. Leo was as equally shocked. "You will let her into our lives just like that?"

" _Only_ if she sees you, or you can't think of any other way to get a hold of the camera." he enforced before turning away from his eldest son and walking away, not before ending the conversation with:

"Remember Leonardo, this is your problem to fix."

* * *

 **Please remember to review and tell me what you think, constructive criticism is also appreciated. I would love to know what your thoughts are!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Question: would you describe Leo's eyes as cerulean? I've been calling them that in all the drafts for the chapters I've written. They're not as baby blue as Mikey's but some people have been describing them as the shade of blue I've been calling them. Thoughts?**

* * *

"Are you okay?" was the first thing out of Sarah's mouth as the two walked though Central Park. "You're a little bit, I don't know, tense."

Sophie shivered, tugging on her blue scarf as she put her camera down from her face. She had just been taking a nice picture of the most famous city park in the world-as much as she could get into one frame, it may not look big from Google Earth but it certainly was when you were on the ground-when she asked that.

The mere mention of the word 'tense' just made her mind flash back to that picture, of that giant turtle with blue cerulean eyes and bulging muscles.

Oh god, she was so _weird_. "I'm fine, just a little bit nervous, you know?"

She seemed to take the lie pretty well, nodding as she sipped on her vanilla milkshake they had picked up on their tour of Manhattan. "It'll be okay, lectures don't start until next week."

"Not about that." she whispered and sighed.

Sarah looked at her, brushing her glove covered fingers against her forearm. "What's wrong? Come on, tell me, I won't judge."

Oh, if she only knew what she actually wanted to talk about. But she couldn't. Something was stopping her from running around the college campus screaming about a giant turtle dressed as a vigilante, and she couldn't figure out what it was. She didn't even have the balls to show Sarah the photo to share this struggle of _'What the actual fuck?'_.

"Meeting new people." she half-lied, circling the rim of her plastic cup with her pinky figure. "I was fine with you, you're just one person who I'll be seeing every day for the next four years, but meeting new people all in one go at party full of drunk, horny teenagers? No, sorry I can't."

"Hey," Sarah slowly placed one hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to show any discomfort. The first time she had touched her the girl had jumped out of her skin at the small piece of contact. She didn't mean to react so badly, but Sarah understood completely, to her relief.

"You'll be fine, okay? Just take it slow tonight, no one's pressuring you to talk to anyone. I'll be there so you won't have to talk much, I'm good at keeping conversations focused on me. Not in a self-obsessed kind of way, but, well you know-?" she chuckled nervously and placed a hand on her hat clad head, which did nothing to keep her hair at bay as it blew in the summer breeze.

Sophie smiled at her new friend's reassurance.

They had only known each other for a full day, but they only had one another in this completely new city-Sarah was from Sacramento, California and had only visited New York once for the Millennium celebrations, which she doesn't even remember regardless of pictures-and they had no one but each other in this strange, new place.

New York, the City that Never Sleeps, was a scary ass place to be.

Regardless of the two leaning on each other, Sophie couldn't relay on her to reassure her about the photo saved on her computer, hidden away in the folder of family photos.

A copy was still on her camera, in the SD card, where it would remain until she could wrap her little noodle around what she had just captured the night previous. She couldn't explain it if she tried. Sarah could have, but she didn't trust her enough to reveal this picture of extraterrestrial life to her, or whatever she would say.

A small part of her told her that it was anything but alien.

"Hey, your milkshake is getting warm." Sarah's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She turned to look at her strawberry flavoured drink and began to sip; it was definitely less cold then before, how long was she out of it for?

"Oh, thanks." she mumbled when she pulled away from her straw. She felt Sarah's arm slid through hers as they walked, arms now linked.

Her blue eyes blinked in her direction, concerned for her friend. "Are you sure you're okay?"

The image of the turtle flashed in her mind as she smiled and squeezed her friend's arm. Blue met hazel.

"I'm fine."

* * *

She noticed things she hadn't before; after a quick web search, the skirt the giant turtle had been wearing had been worn by samurais in medieval and early-modern Japan, and the swords strapped to his shell were katanas-actual, authentic katanas. Clearly this vigilante was trying to be a ninja, and was pretty good at it if he could make the jump between those rooftops.

The Foot Clan-who were so insignificant today that it was almost laughable-were trained in the art of ninjitsu, apparently to witnesses. They weren't very good at it if a former cameraman could take them out though, but this turtle was definitely not one of them. She knew that.

Sophie sighed and took her finger into her mouth to gnaw at it as she stared at the photo on her computer screen. She had edited the photo numerous times in Photoshop; brightened, enlarged, even cleaned the image up to make out anything else on the turtle or around it, except for the tails of an orange fabric disappearing off the side of the rooftop and what looked to be blue paint on her subject's shell there was nothing else new to find.

And it irritated her.

Was it the only one of it's kind? Was there an entire giant turtle population in New York City that hadn't been discovered yet?

"Are you ready?!" Sarah burst into the room from the girls shared showers, her heels clicking against the floor as she walked towards her friend, throwing her shower and make up bags onto her bed and her towel into the hamper.

Sophie had never closed something so quickly in her life, her heart racing a mile a minute as she swivelled in her seat to look at her roommate. To her luck, Sarah hadn't even glanced at the screen, instead she had kept her eyes plastered on her friend.

A part of her wanted to show her what was on her computer screen but another part of her wanted her just to be nosy a little bit and sneak a peek sometime so she wouldn't have to deal with telling her. But for now she would keep it to herself until she found out more about this creature.

"You gave me a heart-attack!" she placed her hand across her chest for emphasis.

It did the trick, Sarah winced in guilt. "Sorry."

Sophie stood up from her chair and watched her friend wobble towards her wardrobe on very high heels that couldn't make her taller then 5'3 even if they tried. She now only came to 5'5, no where near her height.

"What are you doing?" she questioned.

"I'm going to help you get dressed, do your makeup and then we're going to party! Hey, can you straighten my hair for me? Box is under my bed." Sarah's normally straight hair was now naturally wavy and was in all sorts of directions. Now it was Sophie's turn to pity her, when her hair had been as long it was easily tamable unlike her friends.

"Sure. I don't think I'll be as good as whoever used to do yours, I did my sisters a few times when they went out though, but I don't think they liked how I did it." she stood up and moved to Sarah's bed and pulled out the box underneath holding a pair of straighteners and curlers, and other things she couldn't really make out.

Sarah laughed from where she was fishing through her clothes. "I always did mine by myself. I have no sisters, just three older brothers."-she laughed and flexed her freckled biceps-"Why do you think I'm so strong and manly?"

"Just brothers, huh?" Sophie unravelled the straighteners and pulled them into the extension. "Had to be strong enough to fight back?"

"Yeah, I had too, you know?"-she pulled out a shirt, made a noise and put it back-"Alex spent his weekends wearing heels and dresses, Taylor burst out into tears whenever something sad music came on during a movie and James wore glasses too big for his face and superhero t-shirts. I had to protect them from dickheads."

The incredulous look that appeared on her face quickly disappeared.

 _Not again. I should really stop jumping to conclusions._

"I think that's very brave of you."

"Yeah, besides-" she winked. "Who do you think taught me how to use makeup in the first place? I certainly didn't learn from my mother or the internet, thank you very much."

Sophie laughed, turning on the straighteners so they could warm up before clearing Sarah's bedside table and placing them on it so it didn't burn anything she owned. "Well, he taught you well."

Sarah flashed a smile at her friend before pulling out a bejewelled blue cerulean shirt. "Ah hah! I knew you didn't just have 'sitting on your couch eating ice cream' clothes! Add your jacket, some jeans, your cute little boots I saw at the bottom of your wardrobe and BAM!"

She jumped, blinking at her friend. "I get hit by a bus?"

"I understood that reference." she replied, throwing the shirt at her then the jeans. "Get dressed while I find something."

Sophie shook her head at her and stood, walking to the long mirror tucked into the corner of the room. "Okay, okay, I will."

She began to change, pulling off her long sleeved green shirt and sweatpants and replacing them with the jeans and shirt. Adding the jacket-which she had thrown over her seat when they had got back from their walk-made her, well, pretty cool looking. When she added the black boots Sarah her pointed out, she liked her ensemble even more.

There was only one problem: the shirt-she brushed her fingers against the bejewelled part of her shirt-only made her mind go to the giant turtle in her photo, the giant turtle with eyes so bright they had shone through the dark at her.

A pair of beautiful cerulean blue.

She wondered what they looked like up close; she shivered just at the thought of being in the presence of a creature with those eyes.

"Are you done yet?" her ginger friend asked, pulling her out of her thoughts yet again. "I've picked out the best shade to go with your eyes!"

Sophie rolled her own and huffed, walking over to her. "Yes, yes I'm done-wait, what?"

Sarah grabbed her hand and yanked her forward to sit on the bed. "My eyes are blue so those shades and even a little bit of yellow goes with mine. Yours are hazel, but unlike so many people whose are usually brown with green splashes or around the outer ring, yours is dominantly green with a brown ring. They kind of look like green until you get close enough, like I'm doing right now."-she pulled out a palette from her bag-"Green, brown, purple, gold, all those go well with yours. I say go with purple, so it goes along with the black and blue of your clothes."

"Shouldn't we get your hair done first?" she suggested. Sarah shook her head.

"Nah, this will just be quick." she grabbed the brush and rubbed it into the purple eyeshadow. "Eyes closed, please."

She did as she was told, but the minute she saw the darkness that was the back of her eyelids, the photo came to her mind. Except this time the turtle was right in front of her.

He was 5'11 to her 5'6, his biceps and thighs the size of her head, green scales shining in the moonlight. He was tense, the skin taut like it had been in the photo, and what looked like wooden blinds covering his carapace blowing in the breeze, knocking together soundlessly. His blue bandanna that was wrapped around his head being whipped around by the wind, and oh, his eyes staring right into hers like he was looking directly into her soul.

Her mind screamed at her to run, but she didn't, couldn't. She could only stare up at this marvellous creature, and she wasn't afraid. She was anything but afraid.

A clicking in front of her face made her open her eyes. "Finally! Girl I was done two minutes ago! I even did your lipstick for you, see?" Sarah giggled and held up the handheld mirror. She took it and stared into her reflection; dark purple eyeshadow and ruby red lipstick really brought out her features, to her horror. She never really liked them.

 _Oh god, no. People are going to stare and think I'm ugly._

"Okay, time for my hair!" Sarah jumped up and grabbed the straighteners. "Careful, they're hot."

"Hot enough to burn your hair clean off?" Sophie joked, making her new friend laugh and shake her head. "Okay, time to not burn it off then..."

If there was one thing she should never do, is other people's hair. She couldn't do her own for Gods sake! It was one of the reasons she had her 'lovely brown' locks chopped off in the first place, so she wouldn't have to deal with making it look pretty every morning. Sarah, however, suited long ginger strands and Sophie didn't want to make it any shorter.

She moved at a snails pace, glancing at her friend from time to time to see if she was satisfied with what she was doing, but she was inspecting her manicured nails and didn't even look worried. This girl put too much faith into people.

"Okay, I'm done." she turned off the straighteners as Sarah got up to inspect her hair in the mirror.

She laughed. "It's great! I didn't even know you were done, your hands are so soft I nearly fell asleep!" she turned to her friend, clapping her hands, her bracelets on each wrist slapping together. "I think we're ready! Let's go!"

Sophie just smiled and unplugged the straighteners, putting them in the box before grabbing what she needed and headed to the door after her roommate, who practically skipped into the hallway, regardless that she was wearing heels and was trying to keep herself upright.

"Oh, we totally need to go shopping sometime! It'll be so much fun!"

Sophie laughed as she flicked the light-switch to make the room dark. She actually liked the idea of someone who actually knows about fashion shopping with her, her sisters only shoved clothes they liked at her, not checking to see if she liked them or if it actually suited her.

She closed the door behind them.

* * *

He felt like such a creep.

Leo sat on the rooftop opposite the residence Hall he knew the girl lived in. He had followed her back to the building the night previous, hoping to steal the camera from her and return it before she even knew what had happened, but she had made it to her residence hall before he had the chance and in frustration, he had stormed back to the lair after his brothers.

He had been sat on that building for nearly four hours now, keeping his eyes out for the girl he had seen taking his picture. He had been close to giving up and just asking Donnie to hack into the campus' computer system and find her that way just before she appeared.

It looked like her, anyway. He hadn't been able to make out the girl's exact features in the dark, but his first suspect definitely looked like her. She had been with another girl, possibly her roommate, but she was wearing the same jacket the photographer had been wearing.

It wasn't the only thing that sold him that this girl was the person he was looking for; around her neck was the exact Kodak camera she had been using to take his picture.

He had waited a few more minutes, scanning the windows of the rooms-blushing whenever he saw something he didn't want to see-until finally, through a window that had no blinds or curtains yet and instead was decorated by what looked like fairy lights, was the girl.

The first thing she had done was go straight to her computer, leaving her camera on her bedside table.

If the window could be opened from the outside (katana or no) all he had to do was get there without being spotted-which was hard enough considering it was a campus with nearly two thousand students-reach in, take the SD card and return it later that night, or even the next day.

He watched her stare at her computer screen in a daze, and he rolled his eyes. She was just like Donnie, couldn't get her head out of that thing. If only he saw what was on the screen, he would have changed his tune pretty quickly.

The minute her ginger friend burst in and she began to get changed was when he turned away and didn't turn back for a solid hour.

He was curious of course-he was a teenager, an eighteen year old, who also happened to be a mutant turtle who hadn't seen a naked woman in person regardless if he and his brothers had taken a curious peek at a discarded Playboy magazine when they were twelve-but he had respect for the opposite gender, and the human race, instilled in him by his father twice, the first time when he was a young boy and a second time after the events at Sacks Industries.

That time it was all Mikey's fault for his continuous flirting with the much older April.

He sneaked a peek at the girls and to his relief, they were both just leaving. His target had changed into jeans, boots but had changed her green shirt to a beautiful bejewelled blue shirt-his colour-which she covered with his jacket. A primal growl emitted from his throat which made him blink in surprise and shuffle in his crouched position.

 _What the **hell** was that?_

All he did was look at her and her new outfit, wearing a shirt in his colour. Thinking about it made him-

Another growl, this time louder but much deeper, came from his chest.

He had never made that sound before, that was for sure. It confused him.

Maybe he could ask Donnie when he got back, ask why he was making that noise every time he thought of this girl wearing blue.

He didn't even know her, all she was to him was a human who could potentially reveal their existence to the public. Of course Chief Vincent and the New York police force could put a stop to it before it became a problem, but he didn't want the girl to get in trouble or harmed in anyway because he couldn't do one simple job.

The thought of this girl in blue being hurt by anyone or being upset-tears, he wouldn't be able to handle her crying-made his blood boil in a way it never had before.

The image of her being injured, or even worse, made him want to run rampant. That wasn't going to happen if he had a say in it.

What was going on? All she did was wear blue!

She turned to flick off the lights and he caught a little bit of purple on her face-the face he hardly saw considering she turned off the lights and turned her body around so fast-around her eyes. He narrowed his own.

Why did the thought of her wearing his brother's signature colour make him mad?

The minute the door was closed and the lights turned off he moved, standing up and running to the next rooftop until he was on one that was easily accessible to the residence halls roof.

He handed on the buildings rooftop and walked along, counting under his breath. The girl's room was on the seventh floor, nine rows to the left from his calculations (thanks to his counting).

Jumping off at the right place-or what he assumed was the right place-he used one of his katanas to dig into the brick wall to stop his descent as he came into view of the room. He didn't worry about anyone in the other rooms from seeing him, they seemed to be empty and if there was someone in there, they either had their backs turned or in the middle of changing.

There seemed to be a party being hosted, if the girls changing into party clothes gave it away.

For some reason, they had been made so the window could be opened not just from the inside, but also the outside. He didn't stop to think about it as he opened it and climbed into the room.

The minute he was inside he knocked over both bedside tables and nearly tripped on the beautiful Middle Eastern rug on the floor.

"Shit, shit, shit-" he picked the bedside tables back up and tried his best to place everything that had been on them back in their rightful places. These two humans didn't have to be skilled ninjas to notice if something had been moved.

He bent down and sorted out the rug, taking a second to feel the fabric.

 _Dad would love that, maybe I can find one on eBay?_

He hummed in thought before turning to the bedside table next to the bed on the right side of the room right under the window, which confused him. They had no curtains or blinds, anyone could peak through like he had been doing?

Donnie would say they were instinctively keeping themselves save from marauders by placing their beds far from the door as possible.

 _Wait, where was the camera?_

He was certain it was on the table, but it had disappeared. _Maybe it had fallen under the bed?_

He dropped to his knees and peaked under. He had kept the lights off for a reason, so no one outside or across the street in the apartment complex that had been the place the girl had taken the picture could see him. With a huff, he placed his arm under the bed and felt around.

Absolutely nothing; the floor was clean, like 'she had just recently moved in' clean.

He jumped up with a frustrated growl.

 _Where was it?!_

Leo rushed back to the window and peered through, down at the street below, scanning for the brunette and ginger girls. He didn't know what they looked like having only seen the back of their heads through the window but he spotted their clothing easily.

He kept his controlled rage at bay. He wasn't Raph, but he did nearly punch the wall next to him in anger.

Because in the brunette's hand-which she was just putting into her purse-was a Kodak camera.

* * *

 **Please write a review and tell me what you think, even if it's constructive criticism. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I've been sick lately so this chapter was drafted and finalised once I got a little bit better. My mind was a mess, I couldn't think straight and while I tried to write I deleted like five copies of this chapter, trying to decide if I should or shouldn't write about the party, but I settled on 'yes', I will write it or a little bit.**

 **While I was sick I was rewatching the 2012 series and then went on the turtlepedia wiki-for research-only to find out that 2012!Leo, although the skilled leader, was supposed to be _younger_ then Raph and Donnie. Wow. They changed it before the first episode aired but why? Apparently they're sticking to Don and Raph being older then Leo in the new series no one wants (which is only airing for 26 episodes for 11 minutes each ep-a rumour-for some goddamn reason).**

 **So the only one who actually answered my question says his eyes are more cobalt blue, but cerulean works too. Maybe I can slip cobalt in there somewhere, thank you Anna! :)**

 **Question: how tall is Leo? I put him at 5'11 in the first chapter because I don't think he has reached the 6'0 mark like Raph and Donnie, and Casey seems to be a _little bit_ taller then him and he's 6'0 if you base his height on Stephen Amell.**

* * *

Sophie had never been so uncomfortable in all her eighteen years of living.

The sweaty grinding of drunk students was like dirt that she couldn't scrub away. The music pounded away at her eardrums. Worst of all, her security blanket for the night had disappeared into the crowd. Saying she would be right back before walking away, leaving her near the buffet table nursing a drink.

She did not want to be here, more then when she didn't want to be in New York for college. Her red solo cup was full to the brim with coca cola which she had gotten from the box on the table fresh out of the can. No one had tampered with it, she had made sure it wasn't open when she had chosen that can. Back home people were too busy to sabotage drinks.

She liked that about rural England.

"Sophie!" her name made her look up and away from her beverage. Sarah came through the crowd, pulling a young man in tow who was smirking in the direction they had come from. He was drunk; stumbling over his own feet and into people, but sober enough to apologise and look a little less out of it.

"This is my friend, Elliot." Sarah clutched his forearm to keep him from running off. "But you can call him Ellie, everyone else does."

She gave a forced smile. "Nice to meet you, Elliot."

He turned his head to look at her, and looked up and down, like he was taking her in or sizing her up. She stared back, shifting foot to foot. Then, a wide grin grew on his face. She raised an eyebrow as he walked closer to her. "Well, hello there."

"Boobs, Elliot." Sarah jumped in as Sophie leaned back from him. His eyes widened and with a flourish she found herself in his arms, her face pressed into his chest.

"Then I must protect you and be your gay best friend, it is my civil duty." he said, remorse for his mistake clear in his drunk slurring, and she couldn't help but smile as Sarah giggled. The stutter in his words told her that he was trying to make what occurred less awkward for both of them. It wasn't like it was the first time she had been mistaken for a boy. Her hair cut and small breasts were the cause of it. She had been mistaken for being male plenty of times in the past, until she talked that is.

She pulled herself away from him and stepped back. To her surprise, she hadn't spilled her drink. "I've never had a gay best friend before, sounds like fun."

"It's more then fun!" he cheered, actually spilling his _own_ drink. "It's amazing!"

"Okay you." Sarah took his arm, patting his back. "We should take you home."

That seemed to be the wrong question to ask. They began to argue, ignoring the blasting music and the crowds of people to shout at one another. Somehow, they were able to understand what each other was saying.

Sophie could only watch, growing more and more nervous with each word spoken. Her hand went immediately to her bag next to her where she had left it on the table. She felt the familiar bulge of the camera, wondering if it would be weird to take a picture of them fighting.

She sighed, and shook her head. No, too weird.

A break in their arguing allowed her to slip forward and whisper in Sarah's ear; "I'm going to go now. I'm a little tired."

Her ginger friend blinked at her, the fight going out of her for a few minutes before she nodded.

"Oh, okay then. If that's what you want, I'll be back soon."

Sophie nodded and made her way through the people to the front door. Ignoring the people congregating on the front lawn and down the street as she passed. Her residential building was only a few blocks away. If she walked fast enough she could get to her room in ten minutes at most. She sighed, wishing she had brought a warmer coat as the wind picked and the temperature dropped. She may have liked autumn as a whole, but she hated autumn nights.

"Hey there pretty girl." she wrapped her arms around herself, and that was when she realised she had left her purse back at the party. It had her phone, ID, and camera inside.

 _Now the police won't be able to identify my dead body._ _Figures._

"Hey, he was talking to you!" a hand wrapped around her forearm. With strength she didn't know she even possessed in her little body, she ripped her arm out of his grip. She stumbled away from the man who had grabbed her.

 _I could take on two guys, right?_

No, as three more men came out of the shadows, grinning and glaring at her.

She backed away, only stopping when she felt the brick wall behind her back. The men, saying things she never expected to hear from someone's mouth, stepped closer. She wrapped her arms around herself, holding them to her body like some sort of shield.

"Leave me alone!" she snapped. Forget her social anxiety for a minute, boiling red anger was rising within her. The very thing that had caused terror in her sisters during her youth. Something her parents had paid actual money to get rid of.

She had tried to keep it down since she had, what her parents called, a 'temper tantrum' when they told her about New York. But now, she was getting frustrated with the lack of respect these men had for her. Not that she thought her better then them or anyone else, but this wouldn't have happened back home.

It was like she couldn't catch a break. She had only been in the city for a day now and she had already dipped her toe into an underbelly of giant turtles. Now she was being cornered by thugs who would all rape her and leave her scarred. Or kill her after they finished with her.

Her fists clenched and her eyes closed. She tried to protect herself from the incoming blows she would no doubt recieve, but they never came.

Instead, one of the men yelled in alarm as something grabbed and pulled him into the shadows. Her eyes snapped open as the rest of them turned to look, peering into the darkness of the alley.

Sophie stared into the darkness, trying to catch sight of movement.

 _Where had the man gone?_

"Malcolm?" one of them called.

Only silence answered.

Then a limp body went flying across the alley and into a dumpster, making the others jump out of the way. She yelped in fright.

The force of the throw caused the thug to slide down, and the new formed dent in the metal made everyone wince. "What the fuck?! Malcolm?!"

She gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. 'Malcolm' looked like hell; his face purple and red, blood pooling from his nose and mouth. Sporting two black eyes, he groaned, only to spit out a few teeth and then fall onto his side, motionless.

"Who the fuck did this?!" the most beefiest of the group turned in a circle. His fists clenched and ready to fight but his eyes screaming fear as he peered into the darkness of the alley. "Come out you little shit, or are you too scared to face us? Afraid you'll run back home crying for your mommy?"

The other men laughed.

"Unfortunately," a male voice growled from the direction 'Malcolm' came from. "I don't have one."

Sophie's eyes widened as a hand shot out. A green, three fingered hand from the darkness pulled one of the men, the smallest of the group, towards them. He yelled, before they all heard a fist meet bone with a loud 'crunch!' and the man moan in pain. "Get him!" the man Sophie assumed to be the leader yelled, and the three charged forward.

It didn't seem to be a problem for her saviour.

He knocked out the one he was holding then threw him down onto the ground. Then he punched the next one, sending him flying back into his friend. The beefiest man took the chance to throw a punch, hitting her saviour square in the face. Sophie winced, waiting for the man to fall unconscious by the force of that punch. Instead he let out a deep, throaty chuckle and wrapped his hand around his throat, pulling him close to his face.

"What the fuck..." the man whispered in terror but Sophie couldn't see what had made him so afraid nor did she wonder who it was. She already knew. "You-You're a freak!"

The man let out a deep bellied roar of laughter, like the insult had amused him in someway. "At least I don't spend my nights cornering and raping women."

He slammed the man so hard into the ground she swore she heard the asphalt underneath crack. With such force that made her have a quick flash to the bulging muscles in the photo. She winced at the cry of pain that came from the man and with a quick punch to the head, knocked out cold. He let go of his unconscious body and turned as one of the thugs groaned and stood up.

Sophie realised it was the one who had been crushed by his friends flying body, as he shoved said-friend off him.

"Fucking hell man." he rubbed the back of his head before looking up and freezing.

Sophie pictured her rescuer grinning before he whispered; "Boo."

A high pitched scream escaped the man as he ran past her and out of the alleyway, shrieking all the way. She blinked before turning back to the man who had stepped a little into the light. He was closer to her now, as if checking her for injuries from a safe distance. She didn't think he had done it on purpose, or even known he had. Stepping closer made the nearby lamppost on the street bounce of his skin. They were still encased in darkness, but she could still make out the faint outline of his muscular frame.

His arm moved to the back of his neck as he surveyed the fallen bodies. "Wow, I channelled Raph there for a second." he muttered before looking up and right at her.

Cerulean blue met hazel.

"You..." she whispered in awe. She couldn't move, and neither could this creature. He had froze, as if he had forgotten she had even been there in the first place. She dropped her arms and took a step forward, which caused him to take a step back. "Please, don't be afraid."

He seemed surprised by her choice of words, his eyes widening ever so little in surprise. "I'm not afraid." he finally replied. "Besides, I'm not the one who should be."

"And why is that?" she whispered, softening her voice to give him the impression that he could trust her. She could tell by how he was surveying her that he didn't trust her one bit, and that's not what she wanted. It was there and then that she made her decision.

If this turtle was the same one in the photo, she would never show anyone until her dying day, even if he wouldn't know it.

"I-" he began.

"Sophie!" she heard Sarah's voice call her and she turned her head at the sound of her name. "Sophie!"

She turned her head back around when she heard the slight _'whoosh'_ of wind, and her eyes widened seeing him disappear, climbing up the building at an alarming speed. "Hey, WAIT!"

When he reached the roof he stopped and stared down at her for a moment, before turning and walking off. She stared, gaping, as Sarah's calls got louder.

 _What had just happened?_

It was definitely the same turtle, but with the lack of those wooden blinds on his carapace. It had made him move silently through the night, so much so that she hadn't heard him jump down originally, to fight the men. The same men who were groaning and grunting on the ground.

 _Yeah, maybe I should leave._

She slowly made her way past the battered and bruised men to run out of the alleyway, nearly bumping into Sarah as she did so. Her ginger friend blinked curiously, almost like she wanted to ask what she had been doing in there, but decided against it as she held out the purse. "Here, you left this back at the party."

"Oh, thank you." she breathed in relief, taking it and holding it protectively to her chest. Sarah glanced over her shoulder into the dark alleyway before shaking her head.

"Is everything all right?" she asked worriedly.

Sophie smiled-a fake smile, but a smile nonetheless. Just because she was survived it didn't make the situation anything less traumatic-and linked her arm with her friends, pulling her in the direction of their residence hall. "Of course I am!"

This seemed to please Sarah. "Oh, all right."

The small brunette took one last look at the rooftop her saviour had jumped onto before walking alongside her new friend back to her room, oblivious to the pair of cerulean eyes watching her from the shadows.

* * *

Leo had never been so angry in his life as he was then, watching those thugs corner the girl.

He had followed her to and from the party, waiting for the right opportunity to steal the camera. He never said it had been a _good_ idea, but it was the best he could think of at the time. He wanted this to end quickly, he did _not want_ to end up stalking a girl for months on end.

Rage consumed him, red blinding his vision, and the next thing he knew he had a hand wrapped around the throat of one of the more skinnier ones, who reminded him of a bean pole, and flung him into the side of a green dumpster. So hard in fact that he had caused a man-sized dent in the metal.

He did his best not to seriously injure any of the crooks who he and his brothers beat up, stopping them from committing crimes around the city. They would live to pay for what they did, and the police could do that no problem after he, Raph, Donnie and Mikey dealt with them first.

So when he heard the sound of bone snapping when the man made contact with the metal, it snapped him out of his rage. The red faded as what he had just done hit him hard. He had nearly killed a man.

He understood Raphael much more now then he did before.

That didn't stop him from being angry at the other men, especially the one who's chin wobbled with each step he took, and his smart-ass mouth. The 'mommy' comment had made his blood boil.

 _Okay, calm down Leo._

So when he had the man- _he didn't have the respect to be called one_ -in his grip, after being punched hard in the face, which didn't even make him flinch, he knew he was going to feel so good beating him into the ground. And that's what he did.

So hard into the asphalt he actually heard the girl wince. And to make sure the man was down, he punched him in the head for good measure. Fortunately, his growing rage had calmed down long enough for him not to beat the living snot out of the man who had been taken down first by his buddies flying body. So instead, he had a little fun.

The man's scream could be heard blocks away as he ran for his little miserable life, leading Leo and the girl alone in the alleyway together. Or, the only conscious ones to be in said-alleyway, as two of the men showed signs of being alive, unfortunately.

He blocked out their groans and whimpers for their mothers- _ironic, isn't it?_ -as his muttering-something about Raph-caught the attention of the girl, who stared at him almost in awe. Now that was new. Mostly they would run screaming or faint like April did, but this girl was totally calm, zen even, for someone who was in the company of a giant mutant turtle.

 _Oh. She can't see me._

The light from the street didn't reach him, instead it created shadows dark enough to not be completely seen but enough for her to make him out, which was probably why she was making direct eye contact with him. His blue meeting her hazel.

They reminded him of a forest from a bird's eye view; the dark green of the pine trees, the small spots of soil through the branches. The brown was more amber, a yellowish-gold, or like hot chocolate on a cold winter night. His breath hitched at the sight of them.

He had never seen eyes as attractive before, having only seen his brothers and his fathers growing up. Raph and Donnie had the same yellowy-green, while Mikey's had been identified by constant examination in their youth as baby blue. Splinter's, on the other hand, were pure black. Leo's, however, was a shade of blue the brothers couldn't figure out.

Thirteen year old Donnie had said it was cerulean, while Raph-after consulting the 1990s computer they had in the lair at the time which was hooked up to someone else's internet above ground-had said it was cobalt. Mikey had just said they were blue and continued eating the rest of the pop-tarts (which Leo now knew had been licked clean by Donnie that morning).

Leo didn't care, either way, they were different from his brothers and Mikey's, regardless if theirs were both blue. Younger Leo had been a little self-conscious, considering they weren't a normal shade to begin with, and they were kind of neon, to an extent. Glowing, would have been the right word. None of his brothers did that.

Her next words brought him back from his own mind and down to earth.

He took a step back so she had to look harder to find him, but she did, and read it as him being afraid which made him stare at her in surprise. Him? Afraid? It should be the other way 'round, like it would be if she could actually see him.

Then she questioned why she should, like she hadn't just watched him beat up five men and leave two of them on the brink of death. Oh, did he forget to mention he was a giant mutant turtle?

He didn't know what to say, and was thankfully saved by the calls of her friend-most likely the girl he had seen her with when they had left their residence hall-out of the alleyway. Her head turning to the sound gave him time to jump onto the fireplace above him and climb it, swiftly reaching the rooftop. Her cry trying to stop him made his heart clench, but he didn't look back until he reached the top.

One last look, before he faded into the shadows and continued his quest for the SD card, and the photo stored on it.

She was staring up at him, and he knew she didn't look away as he walked off, only to stop half way. No matter how much he willed it, his foot wouldn't take another step. Something was keeping him there, but he didn't know what.

She had made it back to the street and to, who he had guessed correctly to be the caller, her ginger haired friend when he had jumped back down into the alleyway, creeping through the shadows closer to the street to listen.

They were talking, and Leo watched the other girl pass the purse holding the Kodak camera, and the SD card, to the brunette who took it gratefully and held it close to her chest in a protective manner, like it was her security blanket. He wished that hadn't happened, and she had returned to her residence hall without a fuss.

Leo froze as the ginger haired girl glanced into the alleyway, staring right at the spot he was. He began to pray to every God in every religion and a few superheroes as well that she couldn't see him. He couldn't deal with two relatively unknown people knowing about his existence, his father would kill him.

He watched as her concerned friend asked about her well-being, but the brunette just linked her arm with hers and reassured her she was fine. It seemed to please the other girl, who didn't catch the brunette glancing up at the rooftop he had previously been standing on before they walked off down the street.

Although there was now a girl with her, he couldn't help but follow them, concern taking over him now as he sat on the rooftop opposite their window as they walked inside. The minute they began to change for bed he stood and walked off, disappearing into the shadows and in the direction of the lair, where Splinter would be meditating, Raph would be at his weights, Donnie would be furiously typing away on his computer or fixing something around the lair-like that toaster Leo had broken that morning, because bread had some sort of vendetta with him-and Mikey would be playing his video games in front of the TV.

And Leo? He would go straight to Donnie to check out his bruised face-because even though it didn't hurt, that man still packed quite a punch-then be bombarded with all sorts of questions by his father and brothers. Then he would have to tell them everything before going to bed, because he knew that Splinter wouldn't punish him for saving a woman in distress.

No. _Sophie_ , was the name her friend had called her.

He smiled.

* * *

 **Elliot is kind of based on my own gay friend who is so open with his sexuality it makes me so happy. The first time you meet him he makes it clear he's gay before anything else happens, it's magical. Sophie's first meeting with Elliot is based on my own with my friend.**

 **Remember to review or leave constructive criticism. I'm going to remind you every chapter, they drive me to continue the story I have planned (and which actually makes sense, surprisingly. Most of my stories have things that don't really make sense, so thank god Leo actually has a reason to follow Sophie rather then him being a complete stalker). I'm also curious to know what your thoughts are, because writing a fanfiction and hardly getting any reviews is rather upsetting to the reader. You could be enjoying it and I wouldn't know, so I don't continue the story because I don't think people are enjoying it, because you don't leave a review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Only a few more chapters before we get into the good stuff, oh and god bless you MegMoo. Was suspicious seeing the reviews jump from 3 to 6 in a span of an hour but your reviews warmed my heart and definitely gave me the extra push to write this chapter and make it the best it can possibly be. Thank you and Milly, Mikey Lover! I saw both of yours as well!**

 **Sorry I haven't updated in like, a month, because the _Summerset_ chapter for _Elder Scrolls Online_ came out and I played that thing _hard_ (for Sotha Sil). But I'm not abandoning this.**

 **Especially since Paramount is rebooting TMNT again! It's been confirmed that it's a total reboot, not a third movie, so the Bay turtles we've come to love will be gone now. I can't wait to see what they do though, and I'm excited for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! They're new take on the team is interesting and it will be amazing to see how Leo is before he's made leader. You know, before he's traumatized and turns into the Leo we know today.**

* * *

Sophie hadn't talked about that night, no matter how much Sarah-or even Elliot, the most nosiest person in New York City-bugged her about it.

She focused everything in her education, ignoring the thoughts swirling in her brain about the picture and her mysterious savior. Was it the same turtle? Were there more out there? A whole society living in New York City without anyone knowing?

These were questions she had asked herself before, but they came back in full force after that night. It had kept her up, staring at the ceiling as Sarah snored across the room, and for days after she would wake up in cold sweat, her brain swirling with images of what could have happened if he hadn't been there to save her. She hadn't got a good night sleep since.

Another person would have went to the University's counselor to talk about it, but she couldn't speak to a brick wall yet alone a professional. So she bottled it up and went about her business.

She threw all her spare time into photographing and drawing, posting her art and taking commissions, making money that _she_ made, not given to her by her parents. It made her proud that she could make a living for herself instead of relaying on them like her sisters did. Caroline especially. She hoped everyday that the youngest member of the family learned how to be independent in the future, but for now the eleven year old continued to be who she is now. A spoiled little brat who, for some reason, she cared for very deeply.

Was it bad that she didn't know _why_ her sister melted her heart while being completely infuriating? Huh, maybe she should speak to someone.

When she wasn't focusing on her lectures and art, she was exploring New York City with Sarah and Elliot. The three of them had found a quaint little coffee shop near Little Italy where they had began to regularly frequent, so much in fact that by late November most of the staff knew them by name.

Sophie found the little establishment to be a safe, comfortable space for her. Instead of being shy and withdrawn, she was loud and outgoing. Not too loud as to be a general annoyance, but loud enough that people could actually hear her when she was speaking to them. Because of this, Sarah usually wanted to go there instead of any other place they visited.

And that's where she found herself on a sunny November afternoon, sitting outside the coffee shop as people bustled about around them. It was only a week until December, and already there were Christmas decorations strung about and shoppers rushing to buy the last of everything. She wasn't bothered; she had enough time to shop for presents, regardless how annoying Sarah was being at the whole 'Black Friday fighting' feeling Sophie got every time she even thought about buying gifts. She didn't even know what her new closest friends wanted, let alone what the few people she had befriended in her lectures liked.

For a brief moment, she wondered what the mystery turtle would have wanted for Christmas, and if she should buy something blue or Japanese and leave it on the rooftop she had first saw him. But then her thoughts went to if he _actually_ celebrated the holiday, if giant turtles did that.

 _Maybe I can leave him a present anyway? A 'thank you' for saving my life?_

"How the hell do I spell handkerchief?" Elliot's voice across the table from her made her look up from staring at said-furniture. Sarah, who was busy humming along to a song through one headphone, glanced over.

Sophie leaned forward to look at his notebook, reading what he had written upside down. It looked like to be a script for a play he was working on with some of his acting friends, set in the Victorian era. She looked at the word he was trying to write and then leaned back, taking the moment to sip at her drink. "Not like that."

He looked up and glared. "Then how do I spell it?"

"You need a D." Sarah offered.

Sophie grinned. "He already has a D." then- _because who wouldn't?_ -she winked.

Elliot snorted and even Sarah looked up to laugh. Sophie inwardly preened at the reaction; she liked entertaining her friends, maybe because deep down she wanted the attention she craved when she was younger. She didn't want to get too into why.

"You are sometimes too much." Sarah giggled.

"But you love it." she grinned and her redheaded friend shook her head with a smile on her lips. Then, without any warning, she let out a loud shout and jumped up, staring past her at something on the ground. Sophie frowned and turned her head to the side, only to be met with the top of a woman's head. Her eyes widened at the sight of one of her hand's in her bag which she had put on the floor next to her. In case of someone stealing it she had sat on the straps, but that didn't seem to stop the woman now currently looking up at her, her own eyes wide in alarm.

Before she could run off Sophie grabbed her wrist, holding her still.

For a moment, she realized she looked familiar. Where had she seen her before? Did she attend the university? No, she would have noticed if she was a fellow student. A teacher perhaps? If she was, she wouldn't be searching her bag like she was a common criminal. She doubted she was even tied to the university, so maybe just in passing? On TV perhaps?

At the thought, a flash of a news report from Sarah's TV she had finally put up and plugged in flashed through her mind. On the screen was the same brunette woman currently in her grip.

"April O'Neil!" in her surprise, she let go of her wrist. The woman bolted, the surrounding people doing nothing to stop her, instead going about their business like someone hadn't just had her hand in another person's bag.

Immediately, she grabbed it and rifled through, looking to see if anything had been stolen. No, her purse, money, credit cards, laptop and camera were still in the bag. So what was a Channel 6 News reporter looking for?

It hit her the minute she nudged her camera out of the way to see if anything else had been taken.

 _The photo!_

She had mostly forgotten about it since that night back in September. Some nights, when she would wake up from that nightmare, she would remember and sit at her desk, staring at the photo on her computer screen until the early hours of the morning or until Sarah stirred.

"Did she steal anything?" Sarah asked, concerned, watching her pull out her camera and check the SD card slot. It was still in there, much to her relief. She sighed, leaning her head back, thanking the gods that her friend her caught her before she could take it, if that was what she had been intending to steal.

"No, she didn't steal anything." she finally replied, looking at her friends. Elliot was typing away on his phone as fast as he could, probably tweeting about what had just happened-Sophie rolled her eyes-and Sarah was staring right at her, still concerned.

"Oh, my dearies!" one of the much older servers at the coffee shop, Natalie, rushed towards them. "I saw what happened through the window; are you three all right?"

"We're fine. Sophie scared her off." Elliot pointed with his thumb to her. She flushed as Natalie looked at her, hand over her heart like she was hoping to steady the beating.

She liked Natalie; she always remembered her order without her having to tell her, and she was easy to talk to. She reminded her of a grandmother or a very kind neighbor who looked out for the kids next door. Her dream was to go to Paris with her husband; she hoped she could one day, she deserved a break.

"Good for you, lass." she shook her head, "Thugs the lot of them. Are you sure you are all right?"

Sophie smiled and nodded, "Yes, we're fine."

Natalie looked at each of them before turning and walking back into the establishment; Sophie felt her whole body relax. She didn't even know she had tensed up. Sarah let out a sigh of relief and turned to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "So, what was she even trying to find anyway?"

"I have _no_ idea." she lied. God that hurt; she didn't like lying to her friends, but it had to be done. If it was the SD card and ultimately, the photo, that she wanted that is. How did she even find out about that? She hadn't showed anyone what was on her camera or computer.

Sarah shook her head, tutting. "We should file a compliant; get her fired."

"You recognized her too?" she asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, she's April O'Neil from Channel 6 News. I met her at her father's funeral when I was a baby."

Sophie didn't ask. "Oh, then I was right?"

Sarah scoffed. "Yeah. If I knew she stole from people, I would have stopped watching that news channel ages ago. We should go right now and file a compliant, the Channel 6 building is not far."

If Sophie hadn't taken that picture last month and April O'Neil had continued to try and steal from her bag without success, she would have pushed the threat of getting her fired to the side. She didn't like confrontations and trying to get a popular reporter fired from her job was one of them, especially if that reporter's career had been blown wide open by 'the Falcon's' take-down of the Shredder three years ago. But this woman had somehow known about the photo of the giant turtle and had intended to steal it, and Sophie wanted to know _how_.

She knew _why_ ; a news report about giant turtles living somewhere in New York City would make her rich beyond compare. Thousands of people would flock to the city to search for this reported giant turtle, and it would be Sophie's fault if he was caught and dissected.

"It's in the middle of one of the busiest places in this city," Elliot wrinkled his nose. "You might as well have gotten mugged there rather then here."

"So you're not coming?" Sophie asked. Sarah placed her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at him, fully expecting him to change his mind at the look on her face. Instead he shook his head and stood up, beginning to put all of his things in his bag.

"Unfortunately I can't. I have to meet with my group for this." he tapped his notebook still on the table which he then picked up and placed away. "I wish I could come; it would be funny as hell to watch Sarah cause utter chaos in the Channel 6 building. I would have loved to have recorded it and put it on YouTube, make me rich and you both famous. But alas, I cannot." he zipped up his bag once everything was inside and picked up his coffee.

"Well, your loss." Sarah took her headphones out and put them away, grabbing her own bag as Sophie followed suit. "You ready to go Sophie? I know where it is, we'll be there and back at our dorm in a jiffy."

"Yes, let's do this." she threw her bag over her shoulders and pushed her chair in, taking one last glance over the table to see if it was clean before grabbing her water bottle that she had brought with her. Although they regularly went to a coffee shop, Sophie hated coffee. And tea. She was a disgrace to British people everywhere. "See you later Elliot, I'll make sure to record it for you."

He gasped, placing a hand on his chest. "God bless you."

The two girls laughed as he saluted and walked off, leaving the two of them to start walking towards Times Square. It was, like Elliot had said, the busiest part of New York City; full of people, locals and tourists, basically everything she hated. And video monitors showcasing advertisements and commercials. So many video monitors.

 _I would rather lose a leg then walk through Times Square._

"We'll only be in Times Square for like, a few minutes, depending on how busy it is, the Channel 6 building is only a few streets away." Sarah said, sensing her discomfort. "If you like you can hold on to me?"

"Sounds good." Sophie hooked her arm with hers as they continued walking, keeping one hand wrapped tightly around the base of her water bottle. "Before, you mentioned knowing April O'Neil?"

"Well, I don't know her personally." she said. "I was only a baby when I met her. My uncle worked with her father and Sacks-the one who was arrested? That one-back in 1999."

"What were they working on? Anything Area 51-ish?" she joked. Sarah laughed and looked at her.

"Nah, they were doing experiments on animals." at the look on her friend's face she backtracked. "Not anything that would hurt them! God no! They were perfectly fine, well that's what my uncle told me when I asked.

"What kind of animals? Rabbits? Mice?" she asked.

Sarah shook her head. "No mice, but he did mention a rat was one of their experiments." she began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Sophie asked. She waved her hand in her direction, moving her hand to stifle her giggles.

"Nothing, just laughing about what animal they did focus on. Not one most people would use, I've got to say, but they are quite plentiful in pet stores so I see why they used them." she trailed on. Sophie sighed and rolled her eyes.

"And the animal they used _was_ -?" she took a sip of her water from her water bottle.

" _The animal they used_ -if my memory stands correct-were turtles."

And preceded to choke on it.

* * *

Leo had reached his last nerve.

For months he had been trying to get that camera and that SD card but to no avail. She had either hidden it like she knew he would be coming for it or she had it on her person at all times, snapping picture after picture like stopping would cause her to shrivel and die. It was like watching Donnie fix the toaster or type away on his computer.

He had resorted to asking April for help-without his father knowing-who then spent the last few weeks doing what he refused to even consider; stalk the girl until she could find a time and place to take it without her seeing.

Apparently that had failed as she stood in front him, camera and card-less. He had to take a seat as he listened to her recount the tale of what had happened nearly half an hour ago.

"Sorry Leo but stalking her won't get that photo." she said with a shrug.

"Forget about the photo!" Casey stepped towards his girlfriend, concerned. "The girl recognized you! For all we know she's heading to Channel 6 to file a compliant right now! You could lose your job, April!"

"They have no proof I did anything!" she argued. "She can file a compliant, but without evidence they can't do anything. My job is fine, it's Leo's sanity we should be worrying about."

"What?" Casey turned to look at said-turtle, who was currently leaning back on the sofa, head in his hands. For a moment, he was silent as the two humans stared at him. Then, with no warning, a guttural groan left his mouth, his fists beginning to shake.

Before they could react his hands came flying down, slamming into the cushions beneath him before he let out a feral shout, jumping up and heading straight for the dojo. April and Casey watched him go, surprised. It wasn't always that the fearless leader would become enraged over something; annoyed at Raph yes but flying into a fury over some photo in the possession of some girl? Not likely.

"Is something wrong?" Donnie said from his work station, taking his goggles off.

"Yeah bro!" Mikey said from his and Raph's shared section of the lair. He quickly threw down the comic he was reading and quickly jumped off his bed. "Leo's finally lost it!"

"Ooo I've been waitin' for this for a _long_ time." the second oldest turtle jumped down from his work area, following Donnie, Mikey, April and Casey to the dojo's entrance to watch. Leo was pacing up and down the room, his footsteps getting heavier with each movement. His arms were flexing as he repeatedly opened and closed his hands, trying his best to control his anger.

"Maybe it'll be best to just...forget about the photo?" Donnie suggested carefully, sensing how close his oldest brother was to exploding. "I've been keeping a close eye on the internet see if it pops up or is mentioned anywhere but there's been silence. Maybe she's actually keeping it secret?"

"That sounds plausible." April began. Leo's voice interrupted her, drawing everyones attention to him.

His tone was deep, dark, hoarse like he hadn't spoken for a while. They could all see he was trying to keep his anger at bay to avoid bringing Splinter to them. He had promised to notify his father when he had destroyed the photo, and that was a month ago.

"I promised Master Splinter that I would delete the photo." he said. "I'm _not_ giving up. Not that easily."

"But he also said that if you can't to tell her, bro. It's okay." Mikey hoped to pacify his brother. From the look that crept up on his face it did not do it's job.

"No," Leo growled. "He did not say that. He said if she sees me to reveal myself."

"Then let her see you!" Raph took a step forward into the dojo. "What harm will it do if she finds out you exist? We gain another ally, you finally remove the stick lodged up your arse. Win-win."

Leo just silently stared at him, his lack of blinking unnerving everyone except for his hotheaded brother. His jaw dropping in realization made Leo flinch, but he kept his mouth closed.

 _Damn it._

"She's already seen you, hasn't she?" he dead-panned. The others stared at him in surprise.

Yes, she had. A month ago when he had saved her from those group of men. Just remembering that night made his fists clench harder, his knuckles slowly turning a pale green. He looked down at the floor, lips pursed. _"Yes."_

"Then why didn't you not ask her to delete the photo then?" Donnie inquired. "This could have been over a month ago, Leo!"

His blue eyes snapped to his much taller brother. "Don't you think I know that?!"

"Then why didn't you tell her?" he snapped.

Leo could only turn his attention to the ceiling as he thought; why didn't he? She had seen him, albeit in the dark. She had a clear photo of him, and it wasn't like she hadn't put two and two together when he had saved her. So why hadn't he revealed himself and his family to her? She seemed like a nice person, someone who wouldn't tell anyone else about their existence. Hell, she probably hadn't told anyone about the photo let alone that night. So why hadn't he?

 _God what is wrong with me?_

Surprisingly, it was Mikey, _Mikey of all people_ , to suggest a reason. "I don't think this entire tantrum is about the photo." he theorized. His brothers, April and Casey all looked up at him except for Leo, who seemed to ignore him. He took that as a cue to continue; "I think it's because you _like her_ -"

Quickly, his head snapped towards him, blue eyes narrowed as he roared; "SHUT UP MIKEY!"

The sudden change in his attitude made everyone jump. They weren't suspecting such a reaction from their fearless leader, but that only told them that Mikey was on to something. Leo could tell they thought that too.

It couldn't be possible. He only knew her name for gods sake. He knew nothing of her personality wise or anything about her; no, he did not love this girl. This girl was just a blip in his life, once he erased the photo from her SD card he would continue on without ever thinking about it's owner, the girl he saved. Sophie. No, no, no, no. He did not like her.

 _She is a blip. She is a **blip.** You don't like her, Leo, you don't._

But how could such a insignificant person in his life bring out such a side of him? He never got angry, not like this. He had never shouted at his brother, at anyone, like that. That was Raph's territory, not him. He was the turtle that tried to calm both sides down, usually becoming the target of his brothers rage instead but he was okay with that. Raph needed to let it out, and Leo would happily be the one to take it. Now Leo needed someone to yell at, someone who wouldn't absorb his rage and use it against him or to put themselves down. Leo could do that for Raph, but no one could do that for him.

He did, however, have the dojo and an audience of peers staring at him. That's a start.

"Is someone up there punishing me?!" he finally shouted, throwing his arms up towards the ceiling. "Huh?! I can't steal one fucking camera without the entirety of New York on my ass! One SD card, that's all I need, one SD card! What the ever loving fuck do I need to do for you to let me steal it without her fucking seeing?!"

Everyone remained silent as they watched him begin to pace, shouting up to the ceiling. It looked like he was yelling at the streets of New York, and it would have been fitting considering the very person who kept thwarting him, albeit unknowingly, was up there going about her business as he spoke.

Michelangelo leaned a little into Raph and Donnie, not taking his eyes of his rampaging brother for even a second. He opened his mouth, and for a second said nothing. "I'm surprised he hasn't woken up Splinter yet." he finally whispered.

Raphael grunted and Donatello rolled his eyes in response as they both replied; "Shut up Mikey."

* * *

 **Somewhere in New York City, Leo is screaming to the high heavens while Sophie is choking on water. What a pair.**


	5. Chapter 5

**And now we get into the good stuff; this chapter is shorter then the others, only a few hundred words shorter, but it's long enough and it does it's job.**

 **Thank you KittyKatt25 and, yet again, MegMoo for reviewing. And, because I didn't do this before, all of the people who favorite and follow this story; Anna Tyrell, Chiei1987, Fan-of-Fables01, Mily, Triggerfinger213, ViolaTheGlaceon, Wingnutt, hinamori59, katiesnow865, kmm92886, shika93,** **Little Ai,** **WholesomeClown,** **Yuki101 and** **dragonrider347.**

* * *

 _"Whoa there!" Sarah's hand went straight to her back as she coughed and choked out water. God, to passersby it would have looked weird, like she had just been saved from drowning in a puddle in the middle of New York City. "Are you okay?"_

 _"Yeah I'm fine." she croaked, slapping her chest. Sarah took her water bottle off her as she moved from her hunched position to stand up straight, wiping her chin as she looked about. Like always, no one seemed to care about a teenage girl struggling to breathe. Thank god she had Sarah with her. Actually, if the redhead hadn't been with her maybe she wouldn't have choked on water._

 _"I didn't know telling you which animals they would use would make you react like that." Sarah said, handing her bottle back once she was sure her friend was okay enough. "I know using turtles is weird, huh?"_

 _"Not that weird." she shrugged. "But you were right, not the animal I would have went for, personally. They're too cute and slow, let them live their immortal lives, they're kind of like jellyfish but cuter." she babbled._

 _"I would have compared them to tortoises," Sarah laughed. "You must really love turtles if you're comparing them to jellyfish, of all things."_

 _She forced herself to smile. "Very much so."_

 ** _You have no idea._**

"Welcome to New York Aquarium, how may I help you?" the receptionist inquired the minute Sophie stepped into the building.

"Is Dr. Joseph Marsh here?" she asked. "I would like to have a quick chat with him."

"He's busy doing a tour of the aquarium for a school, but if you hurry you could catch up to them. They should be in the Mariana Trench exhibit by now." the receptionist smiled and Sophie thanked her before walking to the map of the building screwed to the wall.

"Thank god it's not far." she whispered after a quick analysis of the map and hurried off down the path leading to the Live Coral exhibit.

It was a Saturday, a few days after the cafe fiasco, and she found herself travelling to Brooklyn on one of her 'days-off' to chat with a renowned marine biologist working at the aquarium. He had been a big advocate for outlawing experimentations in animals in the science field for years, and she hoped he had any information on the Sacks Industries experiments from eighteen years ago. Finding his email address on the aquarium's website had been easy, and sending him an email asking to meet with him to discuss something important had intrigued him enough for him to quickly reply with a date and time to meet at the aquarium.

Sophie wasn't going in blind; squeezing Sarah for her information after her near death experience had been relatively easy, she had been happy to indulge her on what she had been told; that Sacks had required a substance that could change DNA, making animals and potentially humans faster and stronger. However after a fire started in the lab the animals they were experimenting on, namely a rat and four baby turtles, perished, including all of their research and whatever substance they had been using on them.

A part of Sophie was extremely happy about the fire; experimenting on animals, babies in particular, was uncalled for. And, but a hesitant and, it could explain where the giant turtle _came_ from. Was he won of the turtles 'lost' in the fire? Were the other three turtles and the rat also now giant mutants? And how did they survive such a big fire?

But the other part mourned for the losses; Dr O'Neil, the rat and the four baby turtles. If they did indeed perish that night and did not end up learning how to walk, talk, and kick serious ass. Her mind went straight to the biceps on that turtle and she kicked herself.

 _No bad girl._

When Sarah had fallen asleep that night, she had stayed up on her computer diving back eighteen years to find reports on the fire. It had been so big the entire building was incinerated, leaving nothing to be salvaged in the fire, including the body of Dr. Kirby O'Neil, April's father. The only thing that survived was the building's base, but everything else was gone. Lost.

Or, if her picture and experience told her, not everything.

Dr. Joseph Marsh was finishing a speech about the many previously unknown marine life living in the trench that had recently been discovered when she found him and the small class of six year olds. She smiled and nodded at a nearby teacher as she walked forward. Her size compared to the children caught his attention pretty quickly, and he sent them off to look around before she approached.

At first she couldn't help but notice that he looked strangely familiar, and when she stepped closer she realized why;

 _Oh my god he looks like Benedict Cumberbatch._

Actually, he could have been Benedict Cumberbatch if it wasn't for the fact that they obviously weren't the same person. "Sir?"

"Please, call me Joseph. Sir makes me feel old." he smiled at her, sticking out his hand. "You must be Miss Ahrens."

Oh, and that he had a clear American accent, one that didn't make her wince whenever she heard it like the British actor's own in that one Marvel movie she didn't like.

"That's me; Sophie will do." she took it, forcing herself not to flinch at the handshake. God she needed to work on human contact; handshakes, hugs, anything else that fell into natural contact between two human beings.

He let go, to her relief, and placed his hand in his pocket. "Now, what was it you asked to talk about?"

She got straight to the point. "Sacks Industries and their experiments."

His eyes widened at her bluntness and with a quick scan of the area to see if anyone was listening to the conversation, placed a hand on her back and led her into the next corridor so they could talk privately. "That topic isn't for any other ears to hear."

"So it's true." she said as quietly as she could. "They were doing something to animals."

He could only stare at her silently, and it was all the news she needed. She didn't know how to feel; on one hand she found the possible origins of the giant turtle that had saved her life but on the other she couldn't help but feel sadness. Did he like being one of a few mutated animals, alone in the world, without any others like him and his, she assumed, other friends?

Out of no where he began speaking, "They called it Project Renaissance." he began, slowly walking down the rest of the corridor, causing her to jog to keep up with him and his long legs no matter how slow he was walking. "Because the four turtles they were using to test the mutagen were named after four of the most talented artists of their time; Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo."

"How did they know which was which?" she asked with a smirk.

He chuckled, "From what I remember from the report on the experiments they had each been given a colour and their own separate tanks."

"Ah, helpful." she said before getting straight back to the point of the entire visit. "What were they trying to achieve with this Project Renaissance?"

He smiled. "Sacks Industries goal, from what I know, was to create a cure."

"For what?" she asked, curiosity as it's peak. What could Sacks Industries cure with a substance they knew next to nothing about?

"Cancer, ebola, everything else that hadn't been cured all ready." he waved his hand to signal an answer that could go on and on if he answered fully. She understood right away. "And they tested the excelled healing on these turtles, but then they began to show signs they hadn't previously thought of. Strength and intellect that ordinary turtles could not do; it was incredible, beyond comprehension. But then a fire broke out and destroyed everything, including those specimens. From that day on I vowed to turn towards a future where animals were not experimented on to find answers to curious questions or make up products. It's sad that they all perished."

His face broke her heart. He was indeed an incredible person to mourn the loss of the animals rather then a possible cure. "What if it was possible that they survived?"

He looked at her, shaking his head. "I doubt it."

"No, look." she pulled out her camera and turned it on, clicking the button that led to her library and flicked to the photo that had brought her here. With a determined nod she turned it around and showed him. Like slow motion, his doubtful face turned into one of awe as he stared at the photo.

He lifted his hands to take the device, giving her a brief glance. "May I?" at her nod he slowly took it, staring at the image on the screen. "Leonardo..." he whispered, incredulous.

 _Leonardo? The turtle's name was Leonardo?_

She felt a little bit of sudden weight being lifted off her; finally she knew the name of the turtle in the photo. The blue of his bandana must have been the colour he had been assigned in the lab eighteen years ago. But how did he know that? He was a baby turtle, and if he grew like normal humans then he wouldn't have possessed the memories of his days as an experiment. But then how did he know?

Immediately she remembered something Sarah had told her; _"No mice, but he did mention a rat was one of their experiments."_

Had the rat turned into a giant like the turtle? And if so, could it have been possible he would have remembered the colors assigned to each turtle and used it to differentiate the four? They must have not looked similar if he could, unless they had something else to show who each turtle was.

She shook her head as she cleared her mind of those thoughts; _not now Sophie._

Instead she smiled at the Doctor, who was still staring at the photo. "So, what do you think?"

He looked up at her. "If this picture isn't photoshopped-" he began but she raised her hands.

"Trust me, it isn't. I promise I'm not messing with you right now; that's real." she grinned at him and he smiled in return.

"I believe you." he said, and the two stared at each other in a moment of excitement; him for the discovery of a life he thought destroyed and her because he would find out that those lives hadn't been lost that night, and because she could _finally_ tell someone about the photo. He looked back at the camera. "If this picture is what I think it is; he survived and grew...magnificently."

"And you won't believe this!" she clasped her hands together, feeling excitement growing. Finally someone she could share this news with; if she knew Sarah would react like this she would have already showed her. It was truly a sight to see, this turtle. "He can talk!"

Dr. Joseph Marsh stared at her, blinked, then proceeded to let go of the camera, sending it falling to the ground. Sophie gasped and dived for it, catching it before it could hit the floor and break.

"Oh I apologize." he began as she stood up, snapping out of his shock. "But I thought for a second you said that he could _talk_."

She nodded. "That's right. He can do everything a human can do; talk, walk, kick serious butt." she could tell he didn't even want to ask about the last one. "Essentially he's a human who looks like a turtle still with, I assume, the biology of a turtle."

"If that's the case..." he trailed off as if in thought, and she waited for him to finish. If that's the case what-?

She prepared herself for the worst, and then:

"Then they _could_ mate with humans." he said. Her smile dropped.

 _Wait, what?_

"Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo were definitely all male, so they are the last and only members of their kind. They would also need to mate, and if they are eighteen in human years that could mean that they would feel the urge to mate and reproduce with their kind, but instinctively they would know they were the only males left and want to add to their population, so they would look to other possible means of reproducing; like human women."

She blinked in surprise; okay, creating more turtles through impregnating humans was not what was on her mind _at all_. Finding where the giant turtle in the photo came from was her top priority, not seeing if he could create children with human women.

 _Would they even turn out like him or would they look, well, deformed?_

"Uh, Joseph?" she gulped. "Are you thinking about the possibility of human/turtle hybrids right now?"

"Well it's possible!" he replied, "They've been here for eighteen years and may have grown up like humans meaning they would turn towards humans as partners rather then turtles, and look at the _size of him_!" he gestured to the camera. "I would imagine him to be older if I didn't know any better."

"Dr Marsh!" she snapped. She did not want to think about the turtle reproducing with human women. Why? Because it was possible the children would look really fucking weird? She knew it wasn't because of who created them; she would not judge if the turtle somehow had a human partner.

He stopped speaking, blinking a few times at her before sighing. "I apologize, as a marine biologist I got a bit carried away. I kind of always do that whenever we discover new life."

"No it's okay, I understand." she chuckled. "You nerded out for a second, I do that sometimes."

 _Not at_ that _scale but we all have our limits. You just think of human/turtle hybrid babies from time to time._

"I hope that I gave you as much information as I could about Sacks experiments." he said, placing his hands behind his back. "I apologize that I don't know anymore."

"You told me enough." she put her camera into her bag, not quite seeing the way he looked at it as she did. "I should be going anyway, thank you for your time."

"My pleasure." he smiled and walked back into the room to address the class. "Okay children, why don't we all move on outside to meet some otter friends of mine?"

She watched him go for a few seconds before also heading back the way she came, a skip in her step. She said goodbye to the receptionist as she walked out of the building, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to pull out her camera and take a look at the photo.

"Hmm, you do definitely look like one." she brushed her fingers against the image. _"Leonardo."_

A fond smile grew on her face as she stared at the turtle in the photo. Two months ago the cerulean eyes of her photo's subject terrified her, but now all she could see was wisdom beyond his years, a leader. She wondered if the orange piece of fabric disappearing over the edge of the rooftop was one of the other turtles, his brother perhaps, and she cursed for not realizing that the turtle's blue mask was made out of the same material.

Footsteps belonging to a pair of civilians walking in her direction caused her to turn of her camera and place it into her bag, hurrying off to catch the subway from Coney Island back to Manhattan to meet up with Sarah.

If she had stayed a little longer in the aquarium or looked back as she left the Mariana Trench exhibit, she would have seen Dr. Joseph Marsh turn to look at the shadows of the room as the class and the teachers walked ahead of him.

"Get that camera at all costs." he whispered. He stopped as if he was listening to a voice far off in the distance or quiet enough that the surrounding area had to be silent for him to hear.

His face was cold and calculating as he replied; "Kill her."

* * *

It was two weeks before Christmas (and a week after Sophie's visit to the aquarium) when the police tracker Donnie had at his lab began to blare sirens into the lair, immediately rousing the group of turtles sat around the TV.

Donnie immediately jumped up and ran to his desk, typing away furiously. "What's going on, Don?" Leo asked as he leaned over his brother's shoulder. Raph and Mikey stood at either side of him, staring at the screens.

"An attack at The Shops at Columbus Circle." he replied. "Let me find a coherent and audible 911 call so we know what the hell is going on."

He swiped from call to call ranging from people in shock to hysterical crying, each one more and more panicked until finally, he landed on one that didn't feature crying, screaming or yelling from either the caller or the people in the background. "911 what is your emergency?"

"Foot Clan have just attacked the shopping center." a quiet, female, British voice rang out from the speakers. Donnie made some sort of remark about finding one that they could actually understand and get information from, but Leo couldn't hear him.

Instead all of his senses were focused on that voice. He knew that voice.

 _"Please, don't be afraid."_

 _He looked at her in surprise at her choice of words, his eyes widening ever so little. "I'm not afraid." he finally replied. "Besides, I'm not the one who should be."_

 _"And why is that?" she whispered, softening her voice to give him the impression that he could trust her. Could he? Could he really? She wasn't April, that was for sure. Or Vern or Casey or Chief Vincent or any of the police officers who knew about them; she was entirely different, she was a teenager his and his brothers age. A teenager born into a generation that revolved around the internet and selfies._ _Although he couldn't dump her in with the rest of them, April took so many selfies Leo thought that if she stopped she would drop dead._

The girl from the alleyway, the same girl who had taken his picture the night before, who's camera he had been trying to steal for the past three months. God what was she doing there? It's two weeks before Christmas, has she not finished her shopping yet?

"Ma'am can you describe what is happening?" the dispatcher asked.

"They just came in from the ceiling and they're rounding everyone up. I lost my friend, I don't know where she is." her tone was so different from that night. It was more high-pitched, but he did know it belonged to her. A frightened, confused her.

"Where are you now?" the dispatcher questioned.

"I'm hiding in a bookstore; they haven't seen me yet." then she gasped, and Leo felt his heart stop. For a moment everything was silent on the phone as the dispatcher tried to get her to keep talking. But to Leo, it sounded like static noise. Until, finally; "They turned all the lights off! Oh god, they have swords!"

Before Raph, Donnie or Mikey could react, Leo stepped back and ran in the direction of his katanas, picking them up and running straight to the entrance to the lair. He was not going to let her die, not on his watch. He's already had to save her once, now he's going to have to do it again. Something told him this time it wasn't a coincidence.

Did she show the photo to someone with ties to the Foot?

 _God it's the situation with April all over again._

"Leo, bro, what are you doing?" his youngest brother shouted as Raph and Donnie looked at one another.

"Grab your gear let's go!" he replied. Mikey and Raph did as they were told, surprisingly, and it was the purple clad terrapin who hesitated.

He pushed his tortoise shell glasses up his snout. "But it's still light out."

"It's November, Donnie!" Leo called back. "Daylight saving time, remember? It maybe 5pm but it's dusk now."

Donnie looked back and forth from his computer and his brother before sighing and grabbing his bo staff. "Okay, let's go!"

The four turtle brothers left the lair to hit the rooftops, their father unknowingly watching them from his corner of the lair. He hummed, stroking his beard as he smiled. "I believe it is nearly time."

* * *

 **No Joseph you were so nerdy and kind.**

 **Which one of the turtles is Sophie going to officially meet?! Oh now we're getting somewhere!**


	6. Chapter 6

**This story only has six chapters and the first five have already pushed this over 1,000 views! Over 100 of you (an educated guess) have read this and it makes me incredibly happy, yet only a few of you review. I would love to hear everyone elses thoughts on the story so far, especially since I hope I'm trying to be engaging. I'm definitely throwing myself into my writing ever since I became an adult and _Chrysalis_ is my go-two story to prove that. I hope it doesn't appear too cheesy or rushed. I do want to get to the romance, but I don't want it to be unrealistic (as much as it can get, considering I'm writing about mutant ninja turtles and their rat sensei under the streets of New York fighting crime). I want people to read this and go 'wow, nice pacing'. ****Sometimes it feels like the writers get so impatient with the romance that they rush it,** **and a lot of the time, the romance can get pretty corny. You may say that writing Leo and Sophie as 'falling love at first sight' is corny, but honestly I hope that's not what came across. Leo definitely admires her like he did April (in this pre-fanfiction world anyway) and respects her because she's willingly keeping his existence a secret without any goals for herself while Sophie is driven by curiosity and concern; I mean, the poor thing has no idea how they are able to keep their existence a secret without being discovered and dissected! No love at first sight here.**

 **If I'm doing any of that, just throw that info my way, like 'Hey I like (...) but this part (...) is corny etc etc' or 'Another great/good/etc chapter but it's getting a little bit fast paced now without there being a good reason for it to be. Another chapter or so that leads to this point could pace it out'. And when this story finishes I may come back and add a few chapters if this occurs. I'll understand, that's what reviewing is all about. Constructive criticism is what helps improve the author's writing! :)**

 **Anyway...on with the chapter?**

* * *

Snow was gently falling down on New York City when Sophie and Sarah arrived at The Shops at Columbus Circle late that afternoon once their lectures were over. It was quarter to five and because of daylight saving time, the sky was already beginning to darken.

Sophie had only been here since September and yet it was then and there did she see actual star in the night sky. In cities a good view was hard to come by but in the countryside, where you could stare up at the stars twinkling, the moon's surface brightly shining down, it was-...well she had no words to describe it. Sometimes she liked to sit on her windowsill (as best as she could) and just stare up at them. She had no reason why, she just did.

 _I was starting to forget they existed._

"Psst, Sophie." Sarah elbowed her to get her attention. "Do you have any spare change?"

She looked at her and then to the homeless man sitting against a wall outside of the store. She pitied him, the homeless rate in New York skyrocketed every year and the alleyways and soup kitchens became the best things in their lives, but for this man it doubled the minute she noticed that the dark green torn-up jacket he was wearing had the name 'PHILIPS' stitched into the pocket. He was most likely an ex marine or someone who had worked in the army.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." she placed a hand on her purse and pulled out a twenty dollar note, putting it in his cup. At the sight his face lit up, and with that the two girls continued on.

"Do you know what you're getting?" Sarah asked, rubbing her gloved-hands together to warm them up.

Sophie wrapped her fingers around her scarf, fidgeting. "Not yet but I'll make up my mind once we get inside."

"Ooh, who is it for?" she asked.

She replied without a second thought, because it wasn't like she was exactly lying. "A friend."

 _Yes, my 'friend' a giant turtle. Hmm, should I leave my gift on the rooftop? Nah, people would see it._

She huffed at the thought and said nothing when Sarah looked over questionably. "Where should we go first?"

"Well..." and she began to talk about all the shops she needed to go in for presents as they walked into the mall. Sophie blocked it out, she was mentioning American stores with names she hadn't even heard before, and it was ones she didn't even need to go inside. She had no reason to listen; she would just follow Sarah, and if she saw something she wanted to buy for herself or as a present she would-

 _I'm sorry, did she just mention a cult?_

She turned her head to look at her as she talked about the full moon and the weird dancing they would do around a campfire, completely forgetting that they were in public and people were staring at her. "Uh, Sarah?"

"So _now_ you're listening!" she huffed, almost similar to the huff Sophie had made herself before.

"Sarah-" she tried to interrupt, but the redhead refused to let her speak, putting her hand up to silence her, much to her amusement.

"I had to describe my fake joining of a cult to get you to finally listen-" she continued.

Sophie's face flushed as more people stopped to look at them. "Sarah people can hear you!" she was able to get out, loud enough that she could hear over her own talking.

She froze, her mouth still open mid word. "-Oh." her face slowly turned red, the tips of her ears and nose burning in embarrassment as she finally noticed the staring. Sophie crossed her arms and looked a bit sheepish, because _oh my god people are staring at us!_

"I-I was just-Oh, mind your own business." she took Sophie's hand and dragged her off, looking down to avoid eye contact. That left Sophie to steer them around until Sarah found the store she wanted to shop at. "Okay this is the place-Sophie?"

She turned to look at her, but she was staring across from the store at a small bookshop wedged between Hot Topic and Forever 21. It was old; through the window she could see that it had an almost rustic charm, the store dominated with various shades of brown. A warm atmosphere, and the only thing she could think of is if Leonardo would like a book as a present.

"I'll meet you outside here." she said, slowly walking away and towards the bookstore.

"Oh, okay. Sure thing." Sarah replied before walking into the store, leaving Sophie to traverse the mall and crowds of people to reach the tiny bookstore which was practically empty. She pushed open the door, the bell above ringing, filling the room. There didn't seem to be anyone else inside, and the only thing that told her that the owner was actually inside was the whistling and sound of books hitting the wood on the back of bookshelves.

"Good afternoon!" the owner called and she jumped, the door shutting behind her.

"Uh, good afternoon!" she threw back before beginning to browse the selection of books, highly interested in what was on display rather then trying to find the perfect present. Many she had read and many she hadn't, most being ones she didn't believe herself to be interested in, especially one about Japanese history and culture. She was drawn to it immediately, maybe because the turtle had, in the photo, carried katanas strapped to his shell (for some reason; maybe protection?) and wore samurai-esque clothing.

She took it off the bookshelf and flicked through it; oh, it even had little drawings!

"Interesting, is it not?" the bookstore owner's head popped up from behind the bookshelf. Sophie yelped, jumping back, the hand not holding the book clutching her chest.

"My god!" she cursed and looked up at the owner once her heartbeat evened out.

"I apologize for frightening you." he said, and Sophie detected an foreign accent in his words. Chinese, Japanese, maybe? "I was just surprised anyone was interested in that book. It used to belong to my wife before I left Japan."

 _So Japanese then, good to know._

"Oh! Is it not for sale?" she held out the book for him to take but he just chuckled, pushing it back towards her.

"No, no. It is, my wife has no family left except for myself and..." he shook his head, stopping himself. Sophie raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. They must have been too painful to mention. "Well, her family received the book after buying it in another shop in Japan many years ago, and now I sell it here. No one but you has taken an interest in it."

"Oh, well...it's for a friend for Christmas." she replied. "His family is Japanese-"

 _I think. I mean, he had the language written on his shell. Either he's Japanese or a giant nerd._

"-and is trained in-urm..." Kung Fu? Karate? Wait, they're the same things-

"Ninjitsu?" he offered with an amused smile on his face. She nodded.

"Yes, ninjitsu! He and his brothers were trained by their father." she lied very expertly without a hint of hesitation in her voice. Yes, four giant turtles were trained by their rat father in a martial arts form that he somehow knew about, if he was still alive that is. I mean, how old would a mutated rat be now in human years?

"Very interesting." he rubbed his chin. "I would love to meet them sometime; I am a master of ninjitsu myself."

Okay she was not expecting that. "Oh, you are?"

"Yes, for generations my Clan has been taught the ancient art of ninjitsu." he clasped his hands together and nodded. "My name is Hamato Yoshi, and you are?"

"Sophie Ahrens." she hesitated for a moment before bowing, much to his amusement. "It is nice to meet you...Yoshi?" he nodded at her hesitance and she smiled confidently. "It is nice to meet you Yoshi."

"Would you like to buy that book?" he gestured to it and she looked down at the cover.

It was beautiful; a lighter shade of brown then the bookstore itself. The outline of a butterfly was in the middle, with gold Japanese writing above and below it, most likely the title of the book and the author. She brushed her fingers against the butterfly and was surprised to find it wasn't a drawing as she had previously thought, but it had been stitched into the fabric, covering the center of the book in an array of blue, yellow white and black. "Oh." she gasped quietly.

"My wife Tang Shen made the cover after the original fell apart; that is the outline of a Papilio xuthus, or an Asian swallowtail. They are common in Hokkaido, where our Clan is located." he smiled, almost fondly.

"It's beautiful." she replied. "Yes, I'll buy it." her hand went towards her bag to pull our her purse, but his hand on hers stopped her.

"No need, you may take it for free." he offered kindly.

"Oh, thank you but I insist-" he placed a hand up to stop her from continuing. She closed her mouth at the gesture and he smiled.

"I insist you take it without any charge." he clasped his hands back together and winked. "For this ninjitsu-friend of yours."

"Thank you." she replied sincerely. "I'll make sure he doesn't-...break it."

She had turned her head to the store window to see if she could see Sarah waiting for her outside of the store she had went in, only to see crowds of people running past, tripping themselves and each other to get away from something. She took one look at Hamato Yoshi, who slipped a hand onto his robe and had began to walk to the door, turning the store lights off as he did so, leaving her to stand in complete darkness, the only light coming from the rest of the mall through the windows.

"Call the police and, I cannot stress this enough, _wait here_." he ordered and she nodded before he left the store and disappeared into the crowds.

She kept a tight grip on the book, ready to use it as a weapon if need be as she riffled through her bag for her phone. She found the flower-adorned case that held it underneath her camera, which she completely ignored to grab her device and call the police.

She just had time to duck behind a bookshelf before a dark figure wearing fully black clothing passed the window. She didn't know if the person saw her, but she definitely saw their goggles over their face, shielding their real eye colour from her gaze. Foot Clan, how didn't she not guess it was the Foot Clan?

Oh, maybe because the Foot Clan have been gone for nearly a year now? Yes, maybe that's why.

"911 what is your emergency?" the dispatcher, a female with a very soothing voice, said down the phone.

"Foot Clan have just attacked the shopping center." she whispered, loud enough for her to hear but quiet enough that she didn't draw attention to her from outside the store. Where had Hamato Yoshi gone?

She peered back around the bookshelf to see people still outside, clutching family members and friends as they stood in place. She could see Foot soldiers circling the people they had gathered like they were looking for someone, before marching them past the bookshelf and further into the mall, leaving only a few soldiers outside. To her surprise, more came down from the skylight on ropes and began to talk to other Foot soldiers. Their mouths were hidden behind black masks, so she didn't know how they could communicate, as their hands weren't moving to indicate sign language. Maybe they could mind read or something, that would be creepy.

"Ma'am can you describe what is happening?" the dispatcher asked.

"They just came in from the ceiling and they're rounding everyone up. I lost my friend, I don't know where she is." she said in a small voice. God, could they even understand her when she talked like this? Don't be afraid, Sophie, you need to sound coherent enough to talk to the people who are going to save your life!

"Where are you now?" the dispatcher questioned.

"I'm hiding in a bookstore; they haven't seen me yet." she replied, peaking her head out just as the lights outside disappeared and left her in the darkness with only the yellowish tint of the setting sun coming through the skylights. "They turned all the lights off!"

Then a commotion from the direction they had taken the people caused them to draw swords and run in that general direction, leaving three of them behind as scouts of some sort. "Oh god, they have swords!"

 _Well now that I know they have to get close enough to actually hurt me, that's a relief._

"Ma'am? Stay where you are, officers will be there shortly." the dispatcher said but at that moment, like God was punishing her for every slight against him she had made in her eighteen years of living, a Foot soldier made direct eye contact with her, and all hell broke loose.

"Ah shit-" she moved into the shadows just as they ran towards the bookstore, throwing the door open and walking inside. She tried to keep her breath even as she moved silently around to the door, and just as she made it the Foot soldier turned around from where she had been crouching. "Shit, shit!"

She threw open the door and sprinted, causing the other two to notice her and give chase. She kept a tight grip on the book and in the chaos that ensued, with three trained ninjas running after her, she dropped her phone, the dispatcher's worried voice getting farther and farther away as she ran through the restaurant area that made up the right side of the mall, empty of people. Where had they taken everyone?

She could hear their light footsteps behind her, and she cursed herself for being so nonathletic in her early teenage years as she felt her legs scream from the abuse they were suffering but she kept running until she couldn't anymore.

And that 'anymore' was when she hit a literal wall. There were no stores here, just grey bricks with a few leaflets stuck to the wall and rubbish on the floor, completely missing the trash can she had just passed.

She turned around and saw the three Foot soldiers corner her in; _oh hell no._

"Miss Ahrens, give us the camera." a muffled voice came from behind one of their masks.

She felt a bout of courage as she stared them down. "Yeah, not on your life."

The one of the left let out a chuckle, and she tightened her grip on the book, ready to use it as weapon. "How about on yours?" he withdrew his sword and the other two followed suite. She stepped back, her back hitting the wall behind her, and she lifted the book.

A laugh from the shadows caused everyone to stop what they were doing, confused. Sophie's eyes narrowed as she looked around; who the hell was that?

"Nope, on yours." a giant figure appeared to her left and ran straight at the nearest soldier, causing him to fly backwards, hitting a wall and sliding down, unconscious. He ran straight for the next one, weapons flying, as the third soldier right for her. She yelped and ducked as they swung their sword at her, just barely missing her neck, slicing a few inches off her already short hair. With a grunt, she shoved the book forward, hitting them right in the groin. _Please be a man, please be a man-_

Man or not the soldier flinched, giving her time to lift the book up and hit them in the arm. Their surprise made them drop their sword, and with a loud cry she sent the book down on their head as hard as she could. It didn't knock them out, but it certainly sent them on their ass. Before she could hit him again, the figure that had saved her life kicked him in the head, knocking him out cold.

The outline of a shell caught her eye, and for a second she thought it to be Leonardo. Always saving her life it seemed, but instead of looking up like she had to with him, she looked down.

This turtle was much shorter then Leonardo and less muscular, more pudgy, but his big grin and bizarre outfit delighted her; a pair of shades hung on a bead necklaces and, unlike his assumed brother, wore a pair of wet-suit pants that were typically worn by divers, giving him a somewhat Californian surfer personality. One, either by choice or by the sad thought that he found them in that state, one leg was longer then the other. Around his waist was a grey hoodie, showing his carapace and on his feet were sneakers, the front cut open for his turtle toes. Additionally, and she still hadn't figured out how, he had a tattoo on his left shoulder.

And around his face-his eyes a shade of blue like Leonardo's, but much lighter-was an orange bandana, similar to the one that could be briefly seen in the photo she had taken.

"Michelangelo?" her eyes widened in surprise as she took him in and said the first name that came to her mind; with his face that kind of reminded her of Bill Murray, he looked like a Michelangelo.

The name, regardless if it was his or if it belonged to his other two brothers, said in an unfamiliar female voice caught his attention, and he turned himself fully to face her, sheathing his nun-chucks (if her quick observation was correct). "Dude, how do you know my name?"

"I..." she didn't have an answer for him that didn't sound like she told someone about his existence as a mutant turtle that should have perished as a normal baby turtle eighteen years ago; more importantly, did he know her? That she had been acquainted with his brother only three months ago?

But hey, she had gotten his name on the first try, so there was something.

There was no need to explain herself, as his own eyes widened once he had taken her in and he then completely skipped his last question or waited for an answer that logically explained her knowledge. "Wait a minute-...you're the chick that took Leo's picture!"

"Excuse me?" did he just call her a chick?

"You know; a turtle like me, yea high." he lifted his arm up and gave the general depiction of his brother's height. "Blue bandana, twin swords-"

"I'm aware." she interrupted. "I meant-...it doesn't matter..." she shook her head before her eyes softened, looking at him in concern. "But this does; are you and your brothers...safe?"

"I'm not going to even ask how you know about Raph and Donnie." he replied. "But I don't know? I followed you when I saw you running, so I have no idea where they are now."

"I meant in general; where you live, in a place where humans can't find you?" she said. He crossed his arms, staring at her inquisitively.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked, accusatory. She narrowed her eyes.

"Because I've spent the last three months keeping your existence a secret and worrying that your family will be found any day now and taken to a lab to be dissected." she replied without an ounce of hesitation in her voice. The two silently stared at each other in a show down, like a battle of the wits but telepathically.

Finally, the expressionless face of Michelangelo broke; a grin grew on his face and his eyes brightened, and before she knew it he was right next to her, an arm around her shoulder (she was surprised he could even reach but that was something for another day) and began to guide her away, purposely stepping on the unconscious bodies of the Foot soldiers.

"I'm just messing with 'ya." he said. "I'm Michelangelo as you somehow know, but the ladies like to call me Mikey."

She stared, a little bit concerned and freaked out; he was able to turn from an emotionless interrogator to the very real life turtle version of Spongebob in the matter of a few minutes! "Uh..."

"No worries, you'll see how light hearted I am when you meet the rest of my brothers. Leonardo has been trying to take your camera since you took his picture, he's become a right pain in our shells." he snorted out a laugh. "You should have seen his fit of rage the other day; pacing the dojo yelling to God, asking what he had done to deserve three months of failure."

"Oh I didn't mean-" she began. Had she really caused that much trouble for the blue-clad turtle? He could have just asked for it the night he had saved her, that would have saved him three months of torment and insanity trying to get the photo deleted. Wait, did that mean-?

"Did your brother send April O'Neil to steal my camera?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, April. She's our first human friend, and the one who named us." he smiled. "He wasn't having much look in the night time stalking department-" he ignored her look of surprise and continued, "-so he asked her to try and steal it during the day. Oh, _that_ was the day we bros like to call 'Leo's breakdown'."

"You know he could have just asked me? I mean we've met once before." she said.

He glanced at her but said nothing about that last part. "Don't tell Leo that or we'll have 'Leo's breakdown part 2', except this time you'll be involved physically."

She did not want to know what he meant by that. "Oh," she nervously chuckled. "Good to know."

"Oh, and nice moves with that book by the way." he said. "Didn't know they could be used like that."

"I panicked; it was the only thing my shocked body could use as a weapon!" she defended before slouching. "I hope I didn't ruin it; it's for your brother for Christmas." Oh god why had she told him _that_? Now he's going to think-

"Aw, you're trying to serenade my brother!" he chuckled. "That's hilarious dude, not the turtle I would have gone for personally!"

Yep, that.

"No!" she countered, very aggressively without meaning to, which only caused him to smirk. "It's a 'thank you for saving me three months ago in that alleyway' gift, that's all! There is no romance, no courtship, no love at first night, nothing for someone I don't even know personally!"

"You know he's gonna to be so pissed about it and that he'll try and find you a gift, right? He hates receiving things without giving back." he looked at her. "Good luck girl, you're gonna need it."

The two walked slowly in silence for the next few minutes, Sophie only realizing just how far she had run and how astonishingly big this mall actually was. To pass the time she looked over her shoulder back in the direction they had came from; "Should we do something about those soldiers and not just leave them there?"

"Nah, the cops will sort them out." he brushed it off, and as she went to turn her head back around she noticed that on the back of his shell were some yellow, orange and pink Japanese graffiti writing. She didn't know what it meant, and didn't bother to ask.

 _Wait a minute-!_

She suddenly stopped moving just before they rounded the corner to the line of stores, including the bookstore she had last been in, freezing in her spot, and Mikey kept walking until he finally realized that she wasn't next to him anymore. He turned around to look at her, blinking. "You comin'?"

"I cannot meet your brothers, not yet anyway." she stuttered. "I'm sweating from running, my hair isn't properly even anymore-" now she was just making excuses, and it seemed to be working. "-and I can't just _leave_! My friend will worry, and she probably is right now!"

"Whoa, whoa!" he put his hands up in a 'down girl' motion. "Okay, you don't have too. My brothers freed the other people the Foot gathered up, your friend maybe outside now."

"Okay." she nodded. "I can walk the rest of the way from here, I don't want people to see you."

 _"Hey!"_ he blew a raspberry. "I'm a ninja; I work in the shadows. I'll be fine, but-" he grinned again, excitement clearly visible in his eyes. "-If you ever want to meet my family; be one of the only humans to know of our existence? Pretty neat, huh? You would be the second female and the first girl our age, congratulations! Anyway, here's my phone number." he strode forward and pulled out a pen she kept in her bag, like he had known it would be in there, and grabbed one of her arms, writing it on his arm. "We can chat in the meantime, butter you up so you can meet the relatives."

He then looked up and smiled, almost fondly. She blinked in surprise. "I've always wanted a friend my age." he said softly, almost in awe.

And like a thief in the night he was gone, as well as the book he had taken from her hands with a last call of 'I'll give this to Leo at Christmas!'. She looked up at the skylight and smiled seeing the back of his shell disappear into the night, the stars already in the sky and what seemed to be a hint of the setting sun's rays.

Only one thought came to her as she walked the rest of the way, turned the corner and walked towards the doors leading out of the mall; the red and blue sirens of the police cars and ambulances flashing the colors into the building, a few people scattered about the entrance talking to officers or being offered hot cups of coffee and shock blankets, the figures of Hamato Yoshi and Sarah running up to her was...

 _Oh god, now I need to buy **him** a present._

* * *

 **Dun, dun, dun it's...Michelangelo, Sophie's future second best friend! And oh my god, Hamato Yoshi's in this story! Yep! He's important, remember him. Sorry there was no Leo part in this chapter, but Mikey hasn't given him the book yet so I'm not going to write his reaction to it right now.**

 **Also I made my own TMNT Discord you can join! If you want to just mention it in a review or something and I'll PM you, but you must be 18+ though!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's a Sophie and Mikey's growing friendship, Sophie and Leo's evolving relationship _and_ a Christmas based chapter before we get into the good stuff! What has Marsh got planned for Sophie? Tune in next weekend-nah I'm kidding, god knows what day the next one will come out on.**

* * *

As Christmas approached, Sophie seemed to be one of the few students not to have left campus. She saw the speckle of other students around, all dressed in Christmas jumpers and winter clothing like she herself was wearing, and there were only one or two other then her in her dorm-both girls-who had invited her to drink hot chocolate with them and watch movies. She agreed, only because she knew one of the girls, Penelope, from Sarah's lectures who they usually stopped to talk to around campus and the other, Tiana, was nice enough whenever she passed in the hallway.

Sarah had went back to California for the holidays, leaving her present to Sophie on her bed only to be opened on Christmas Day. Her present to the redhead left with her, with the promise not to open in until the actual day. Sophie had a funny suspicion she opened it the minute she left anyway.

The reason why Sophie hadn't went back to England to celebrate Christmas was because of one thing; her parents. Plain and simple. Her entire two week break would be them talking about how sending her to America worked well in their favor and took all the credit. It was true they filled out the application form without her knowledge, but if she had put up more of a fuss or held onto a gate or something she wouldn't have left the country in the first place. She did not want to listen to hours and hours of self-appraisal from her already self-involved parents. And she didn't trust herself _not_ to get mad.

 _They can celebrate Christmas without me this year, thank you!_

She lied to them over the phone, saying that the university wouldn't her to stay back and give some sort of speech to teenagers visiting the campus who hope to join the following year. After a proud moment which slowly turned into another 'I told you so' moment, she hung up, threw her phone onto Sarah's bed, fell down onto her own bed and screamed into her pillow.

Nothing else could make the holidays worse, and she was right.

Ever since meeting Mikey on that day two weeks ago, they had been texting one another back and forth non stop. She told him of her interview with the police at the station and then being asked, along with Sarah, to present Hamato Yoshi with a medal on December 28th as a symbol of bravery.

Apparently, when Sophie had been running away from members of the Foot and the Turtle brothers were dealing with the others in the shadows-which was easy because the lights were all turned off-Hamato Yoshi rescued most of the hostages inside, including Sarah, all just with a katana. No armor, just that beautiful brown robe, or a kimono as she later found out.

Which is pretty _fucking_ cool if you ask her.

They had all been taken to the middle of the shopping center, like Sophie had thought, and then sorted into groups; men, women, and children. Then, the group of women were then sorted into sub groups; adults and teenagers. Then from there, by hair colour.

The moment Sarah told her that the group of teenagers left were all brunettes, she knew the Foot had been after her.

That night, lying in her bed staring at the ceiling without a wink of sleep, she began to think over the last few days. Who had known about the photo to send members of the Foot Clan after her?

She knew the answer straight away though; Dr. Marsh.

But why would he want to take the photo? It wasn't like it could lead him to Leonardo and his family.

And why kill her? Well that was obvious; so she wouldn't tell anyone else about it's and the turtles existence.

Of course, the other people to know about the photo was Leonardo, Mikey, their other two brothers, their father, April O'Neil, a police detective Casey Jones and the Falcon himself, Vernon Fenwick. The four mutants wouldn't send the Foot after her-Mikey told her they had a bad history with them-and their three human friends had no business with them. If they wanted the turtles captured, they would be by now.

That left only Robert Marsh.

If he had control of the remnants of the Foot, then he could send them after her again and again, until either he captured the brothers or killed her.

She didn't get a wink of sleep that night.

"Maybe you should reconsider my offer, babe." Mikey said one night, a week after the Shopping Incident. The two had been meeting on the rooftop Sophie had taken Leonardo's picture when Mikey could get away from his brothers to meet up with her. The two would sit on the rooftop and talk; Sophie would bring food whenever she could and Mikey would bring his 'dazzling personality and humor'. "If this Mash man-"

 _"Marsh."_ she corrected, but he continued to speak like he didn't hear her.

"-is after you for the picture, or us, then you would be safer in the Lair. We could all look out for each other and find a way to stop him. Right?" Mikey was currently hanging upside down from the silos usually found on New York rooftops-for some reason unknown to her-swinging backwards and forwards casually, like he was on a swing rather then a thin metal beam.

Although small Mikey was pretty strong, and the continued creaks, the cries continually coming from that one beam, made her fear that it would break and he would end up hurting himself.

Thankfully, it didn't, but you could never be too careful.

"I can't just up and _leave_ , Mikey." she replied. "I have university for another two-three years, and if I just disappear they'll contact my parents and get the police or even the FBI involved." she shook her head. "No can do."

"But if your life is in danger-" he began to argue, but this time it was her that interrupted.

"Then they'll put me in Witness Protection and I'll have to leave New York, my life, behind. I can't do that." she sighed. "Besides, the police can't do anything without the evidence that they were specifically after me."

He stopped swinging and remained silent for a few minutes, a look of disappointment on his face before it disappeared as quickly as it had came. "Okay. It's not like I can force you." he said, and the topic ended.

Sophie didn't know Mikey as long as everyone else he knew, but she guessed he wasn't this...serious. She didn't know why he did around her, even asking if calling her 'babe' was all right, unlike the first time they had met. He could be fun, of course, like that time he brought an iPod and the two jammed out to music for hours until someone in the apartment complex called the police and the two had to 'skedaddle', as he had said. But with problems of life and death, of the Foot, he was serious as he could be. She thought he acted like a child because he could.

From the descriptions of his brothers, this was most likely the case.

Michelangelo was the youngest brother, a fact instilled in him by his other brothers, who assumed because of his childishness he _had_ to be the baby of the family. He was okay with that, but he hated that they saw him more like someone who needed guidance rather than someone who was their equal. They didn't know he felt that way because he had never told them. Sophie did, because like everyone said throughout her life, people could just tell her these things.

Maybe she just had that aura or they knew she wouldn't tell anyone, but she felt honored that her friends could just tell her anything with the utmost confidence.

The next youngest was Donatello; something you wouldn't presume because of how mature he was, and the fact he had his own corner of the Lair. While Mikey had to share a bunkbed with the second eldest, 'Donnie' or 'Don' as they called him, had made his bed by himself. It had been built into the sewer wall, fit so he could fall asleep in any position that also took his shell into the equation. He was the 'science nerd' of the family and stuck to his Lab while Mikey was the 'geek' brother. Donnie was the most responsible brother, and Mikey assumed it was because he had the knowledge and skills to look after the family, and not because he wanted to be.

Sophie pitied him.

Raphael, the second eldest, was the hothead. Sophie understood both positions quite well, and wondered if it was just the general layout of siblings that the second eldest _had_ to be the most ill-tempered of the bunch. Unlike her, however, Raph was less kind. It wasn't like he was horrible, it was just he had a tendency to start physical fights with his brothers because of the littlest things and was the first to jump into action. He was the most heaviest Turtle, by means of 'he was built like a brick shithouse'. To the surprise of his family, and not to her because she understood completely, he was the most sensitive.

Thankfully for Mikey, he had Sophie there to give him a good guess on why he was like that. His rage, as she told him, _is_ him showing his sensitivity. He gets into fights with them because they have offended him or someone he loves in some way, and that doesn't quiet sit right with him. He just can't put it into words, he can't verbally express what that person has done to upset him, and the situation is taken entirely out of control. Now that Mikey knew and understood this, Sophie believed he could help his brother and de-escalate the many fights between them.

She sometimes imagined how shocked his family would be with this newfound knowledge, and would giggle to herself.

Then you had Leonardo, the self-proclaimed eldest. The leader of the family and the very turtle subject in her photo (regardless if Mikey insisted that the orange fabric of his bandana counted as him also being into the picture). He was the most carrying, the most worried, of the Turtles. If he was human, _normal_ as Mikey had said (much to her sadness), maybe he would be more down-to-earth. The three brothers loved their brother, but there was a rift there, a rift that they all saw but had no idea how to mend.

Sophie could not give him an idea; truthfully, her own sibling life was a mess and she had no idea how to fix it, she doubt she ever would.

But Mikey loved his brothers; it was obvious on the nights he relieved anecdotes of his childhood.

"You know you can call them Leo, Raph and Donnie, babe." he said after he answered a question she had asked him one of these days, a few days after the first conversation of her staying in the Lair was discussed. This time the two were sat on the edge of the rooftop, kicking their legs back and forth as they talked.

"Oh no." Sophie shook her head. "I can't. I was raised never to use someone's nickname if they don't know you; it's why I call you Mikey, but I won't call your brothers Leo, Raph and Donnie. Too personal."

"So you would use their nicknames if you knew them?" he asked. Sophie's eyes narrowed suspiciously; his voice was high-pitched, like it was a question that her answer would not change the outcome of.

 _Oh, he better not have-_

"Yes...why? Are they hiding behind a silo somewhere?" she looked around the rooftop, trying to catch a glimpse of a shadow that might be one of his brothers as he laughed.

"Nah, they're not here." he kicked his legs, looking anywhere but her. "It's just-you told me you're not going home for Christmas, and I was thinking..."

He then turned his head to look at her, but she could only look at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, I can't."

"Oh...It's okay, I understand." his baby blue eyes were full with disappointment and she couldn't help but feel sorry, regardless if he had said she didn't have to.

"Your brothers and father don't know me or that you are friends with me in the first place, and I don't want to just suddenly pop up on that day, on Christmas no less." then, as his eyes got sadder, she smiled. "But next year."

His head shot back up and he grinned. "Really?"

"Yeah! Birthdays, Easter, Halloween-depends on when I meet them, just not now and not so soon!" she laughed. "Hey, maybe New Year? Who knows what will happen?"

"That would mean a lot, Sophie." he threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a side hug. "You know, I think my brothers are going to really like you. But you remember; no one takes Mikey's sweet cheeks away from him!"

She let out a laugh. "Oh really?"

"Yes really!" he jumped up and with no warning, picked her up and spun her around, laughing as she squealed. "I would be so lost without you! My friend, my amigo! My dazzling spirit would be crushed!" he then gasped, stopping his spinning which, frankly, was making her a little sick, to hold her up just by her shoulders. "I can mention you in our Hip-hop Christmas Album!"

"Hip-hop Chris-what?!" she asked and he laughed before setting her down, beginning to explain.

And now, after days of meeting on that very rooftop and texting each other back and forth, it was Christmas.

Mikey was spending the day with his family and the friends they had made, while Sophie spent her holiday alone. Her parents had sent all of her presents over, so she had a lot in her room, even the ones she received from friends here in New York.

But there was none from Mikey; she understood. They hadn't known each other that long, but regardless she had tried to buy him something he liked. She remembered he had told her that he only had one pair of pants, the one he was wearing, and so she had bought more for him. At least five pairs, all refitted so they could fit him. She remembered telling the person on the phone that the friend was pretty big and she couldn't find sizes that would fit him. They had understood, and personally made the size she had requested.

When they had arrived, rather quickly but it was Christmas, she had given the wrapped present to him and watched him open it in front of her. It wasn't Christmas Day yet, but it was much safer to open the gift away from his family so no one would ask who had given it to him. She and Mikey had taken a serious risk when she had decided that Leo would open his on Christmas Day with his family, rather then waiting until they had officially met.

Sophie watched Mikey's eyes light up as he unwrapped the gift, and had not stopped hugging her before going off into a playful rant about how she could not have given him a gift because he had nothing to give her and that must mean their friendship didn't mean anything if she had put him in this position.

He had been joking, and in the past she would have felt rather bad, but Mikey had a talent of faking seriousness _and_ being able to showcase that he did not mean any of it, so instead she had laughed and played along.

Sophie had woken up the morning of Christmas Day and just like she did in the past, after brushing her teeth and taking a shower, went down for breakfast. Every dorm had a kitchen on the bottom floor, which she entered to get some food. Tiana and Penelope waved from their places and she smiled in return. There were other people, but not any who she knew personally.

After pouring herself some cereal she sat down, eating quietly before placing the empty bowl and spoon into the dish washer before going back upstairs to do the second thing she did on Christmas Day; open presents.

From family she received clothes and cash from her parents and younger sisters and a new camera from Irene because 'it's the 21st century Sophie, why are you using something from before you were born?'.

The Kodak camera she was using was from _2012._ She didn't need a calendar to be certain that; one, it was from the 21st century and two, she was definitely alive during that time. She had been 13 for crying out loud!

 _Ass._

The gifts from friends were much better and more personal; Sarah gave her some new sketching pencils with a sketch book because in her spare time, whenever she wanted to just wind back, she would draw in her previous sketchbook that was full to the brim with drawings. She knew that she would definitely us them.

Elliot had bought, to her utter amusement, a set of vibrators and two dildos 'so she could practice before losing her virginity' as it said on the note she had also received. He had also gotten her a box of chocolates, which she had eaten gladly (although hesitantly so just in case she had locked her door).

She even had received a gift from Hamato Yoshi, who had given her a fan with her name written in Japanese to hang on her wall, which she gladly did.

Not a lot of presents, but she was grateful for every single one of them, regardless if some were more personal then others. She then spent the rest of her day on the Internet, lounging about on her bed until a knock on her door brought her downstairs into the dormitory's dining room.

There, on a long table, was a massive feast for thirteen (that was how many people had stayed behind). Five of them had gotten together and created a holiday meal, even if you didn't celebrate-which Susannah, who lived a floor above her and was Jewish, didn't-you could still join in. "Food is food!" one of the boys, Jordan, had announced.

Everyone sat down and dug in, laughing and smiling, regardless if most of them if not all were in their pajamas. For the first time in a long while, Sophie actually felt at peace.

She listened with amusement as Penelope shared a holiday anecdote from her home in the Bronx and followed along with interest when Tiana told everyone about one Christmas in Missouri four years ago. She kept quiet; she had no funny or heartwarming Christmas story, unfortunately. Nothing interesting happened.

It made her sad, how close everyone's families were, but not envious. She came out all right, in the end.

She just wished to spend one Christmas, one enjoyable holiday, with a family she had made. What was the first part of that quote from Lilo & Stitch?

 _'This is my family. I found it all on my own.'_

She hoped to say that one day.

* * *

Leonardo, like every Christmas since 2014, received presents from every member of his family and his friends.

His father was the only one not to buy him anything ninjitsu related; instead, he had bought him another banzai tree after his first one had died earlier that year.

The others, however, had bought him things revolving around that topic he loved with a passion. To start with his brothers; Raph had gotten him polish for his swords, Donnie had made him a small machine that projected holographic targets for him to practice his katanas with and Mikey had bought him a video game that was all about the martial art.

Their friends had followed their lead; April had bought him a new dark blue bandana with his name stitched in light blue Japanese on either side of the fabric and Casey and Vernon had gotten together to buy him an expensive scroll with the eighteen disciplines of ninjitsu written across the paper, which he had hung up over his bed. Even the police force, and Rebecca Vincent, had got together to buy him something; a new pair of new, shiny authentic katanas made and shipped over from Japan.

Leo couldn't stop smiling. All of the presents delighted him and were well received, it was just-...

It seemed easy for people to just get him what they thought he loved above all; anything about ninjitsu, really. However, the martial art he had dedicated his life to, wasn't his favorite thing in the world, which would have surprised his friends and family if they had ever known. Instead, in that moment of time, it was Japan.

Just...Japan. It's culture, it's history, the places, the people, the _views._

 _Oh the views!_

His biggest wish, in the entire world, was to visit Japan. If he could have anything, it would be to see that beautiful, rich country with his own two eyes and not through pictures on the internet. It was a childish dream, really, to think he could ever see it himself. He was a giant mutant turtle! He couldn't really buy a passport and a ticket and just walk into an airport and board a plane, he would terrify everyone in the building!

It was one of the reasons he had regretted his decision not to permanently become a human. To his family he was perfectly content with staying a mutant, but deep down inside, hidden from them, he despised his decision.

"Leo!" Raph yelled in the direction of his 'corner' of the Lair. After the boys and Splinter had taken their gifts to their respected areas, Leo had sat on his bed to inspect his new katanas while Mikey and Donnie had taken April, Casey and Vernon into the kitchen to help finish making dinner. The trifle was in the freezer and the chicken defrosted. All that was left was the mash, gravy, vegetables and the stuffing. Easy really, and did not need seven people to finish. Leo and Raph had helped last year, now it was Donnie and Mikey's turn. "Ya still have a present left!"

Well, that was strange. He was certain he had opened all of his from everyone. Maybe someone had bought him an extra present and he had not seen it?

"I'm coming!" he called, placing his katanas down gently on his bed before getting up and heading back to where the Christmas tree was, right next to the TV so everyone could have a comfy seat while opening presents. There, in his brother's hand, was a blue-wrapped rectangle covered in snowflakes.

He knew right away it was a book, and who had wrapped it.

The only person who insisted on wrapping his gifts in colour co-ordination to the people who were receiving, so they knew exactly whose it was without checking for a name tag, was Michelangelo. The same Mikey who was currently holding a wooden spoon and singing a horrible rendition of Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas is You' alongside the radio as Donnie, April, Casey and Vern watched and laughed at his antics.

"Apparently Mikey bought you somethin' else." Raph shoved it into his hands before walking off, leaving Leo to stand along in the designated 'living room' holding an interesting parcel.

Unlike Mikey's usual Christmas ways, there was a tag sellotaped to the wrapping paper which he delicately and slowly opened. There, in handwriting that was definitely not his brothers, were two words:

 _'Thank you.'_

He could only stare at the message, his brow ridge raised in confusion. Who had sent him this? Because it certainly was not his brother, that was for sure. He could not express how puzzled he was at the mystery before him, could not put it into words. So instead, he gently took of the paper.

In his hands was, like he had guessed, a book. And it blew him away.

The cover was beautiful; a light brown, made of a fabric he could not identify but was soft in it's own way, definitely softer then his own fingertips, with gold stitching keeping it secure to the book. In the middle was the outline of a butterfly made of blue, yellow, white and black thread, with gold Japanese writing above and below it. The title, a subtitle and the author.

 _JAPAN: The History and Culture of a Forgotten Land  
by Hinata Takahashi_

The butterfly, however, had caught his attention more so then the other parts of the cover. The outline and colours of the insect had been stitched into the fabric. _By hand._ To him, the cover was soft, but his skin was rough and so any other material felt like pillows to him. But to humans, it would be like if Donnie had stitched his tattoos into his skin. It was an achievement he awed at.

He gently opened the cover to take just a quick glimpse inside, and his eyes landed on writing, old ink that had been purposely written into the book rather then it having been printed onto the page. In Japanese, and underneath a translation in English, in handwriting that was not similar at all to the writing on the tag, was the quote;

 _"I am too young, and I've loved you too much"_ _\- Fyodor Dostoyevsky_

Immediately, he knew this was secondhand and that the message was meant from someone else to someone else, a lover perhaps. But deep down, a small part of him imagined that it had been written for him. Leonardo, a giant humanoid turtle living under New York City having an admirer or someone who loved him with all of their heart. A human, who could love a mutant.

The thought of it was impossible, and he felt that small spark in him die.

He looked up from the book and turned his head. His ninja senses alerting him to the fact he was being watched, and he successfully made eye contact.

Michelangelo was staring at him, rather intently. He had not bought him the present. Leo's eyes widen.

And he knows.

Splinter was deep in mediation as his family all prepared for their holiday dinner when a tap on the wall to his secluded part of the Lair made him open his eyes and look over at person who intruded on his mediation.

"Dad," Splinter knew it was always non-serious when his eldest son called him by that title. "Can you do something for me?"

"Of course my son, what is it that you need?" he replied, concern setting in as he stood up to face him.

Leo smiled.

* * *

That night, as Sophie laid in bed browsing her Tumblr, full after a beautiful prepared dinner-and a delicious dessert-her phone buzzed.

A single text from Mikey, after two hours of silence once he had informed her that the dinner he and his family had was all gone and well received.

 _'Check the rooftop.'_

And she did. Throwing on pants, shoes and a coat she left her dorm and climbed the fire escape to the rooftop. At first, she didn't see what she was looking for exactly, and nearly sent a confused text back when she saw it.

Laying on the concrete edge of the rooftop, facing her dormitory building was a fan; a tessen, as she would later find out. As she got closer, she noticed that it had an iron frame, so different from the one Hamato Yoshi had given her, and that it was a dark black. As she picked up the quite heavy object, her eyes landed on the design in the center.

A beautiful, detailed bouquet (of sorts) of cherry blossoms. Sakura, as the Japanese call them.

It was a war fan, used by ninjas.

She turned it over to inspect it when she saw the little post-it stuck to the other side. With a tug, she ripped it off and read the words on the paper, words that brought a smile to her face: _'The book is beautiful. Thank you.'_

"You're welcome." she whispered into the silence before holding the closed fan close to her chest and leaving, the post-it note now in her jean pocket. She couldn't keep the smile of her face as she entered the building and her room, leaning back against her closed door and kicking off her shoes, coat and jeans. She did remember to take the post-it note out and place it in her desk drawer before climbing back into her pajamas and sitting back down on her bed, the fan still tightly gripped in her hand.

Her phone buzzed a second time, and she looked at the text she had received. Yet again from Mikey, mimicking the words he had sent her that morning, just without the many emojis and the replacement of one word.

 _'Merry Christmas, Sophie.'_

Her smile widened as she stared at her phone in the darkness of her room, the only light coming from the streetlamps outside streaming in through the tiny crack in her curtains Sarah had put up and the light from her bedside lamp, illuminating her cheerful face.

"Merry Christmas, Leonardo."

* * *

 **EDIT: Came back to add this little author's note at the end. My friend posted this on her AO3 (I have too many on my own and I don't want to clog it up) and someone thought Leo getting a bit too overboard with Sophie wearing purple eyeshadow was a bit too much. There is a reason for that, and I wanted to post my reply here too because Leo's possessiveness will become a key factor of the story and his journey throughout. So here it is:**

 _ **'Like penguins, some turtles are surprisingly monogamous (they have one partner for the rest of their life). In this case, the turtle boys aren't but there are reports of red sliders (the species of turtle they are in the Bayverse) being 100% monogamous, so maybe they're actually like humans in this respect. But the four boys are mutated humanoids, and were raised to have a significant colour assigned to them so April/Dr. O'Neil/Sacks/Splinter could tell them apart, and so the boys have adopted this as their own (in this story anyway). Leo, in this case, has already established some sort of biological connection with Sophie. It's not like he is possessive of her because he wants to be, but he's possessive biologically. Deep down, he has instinctively chosen her as a mate, but he doesn't know it yet. Of course when they finally meet and become friends, that possessiveness will decrease but it will pop up from time to time and definitely scare him. That's a problem Leo has to face head on, with all the ups and downs it comes with, and that's his journey throughout the story. He can't be Sophie's partner without tackling this first, and yes this is a slow burn story so it'll take a while (like a long while you will be shocked).'**_

 **So I hope this soothes some concerns about that chapter, and to keep this in mind as the story continues. Also, I reached 20 reviews over on A03, which has never happened to me before! The largest I ever had was 11, until this story came along. If we can reach 20 reviews or more on here before Chapter 10, I will be internally grateful!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it's been like two months since the last update! My internet is being weird, meaning I couldn't update since the last chapter, like I wrote this chapter a week after I last updated and now, finally, the internet is working long enough for me to post it. Hopefully it'll be fixed soon!**

 **Viola; you will read more on Sophie's family, and may even meet a member soon! It's definitely a plan I just don't know how to add them into the story without changing the narrative, and who it will be! Maybe one who hasn't been mentioned before?**

 **EDIT #1:** **I have been playing the new Spider-Man and Peter is hot, not gonna lie (and so is MJ, damn it Insomniac!). Also Miles is my newly adopted son and May is now my own aunt that would be all continue reading.**

* * *

 _December 28th_

"Okay, how do I look?" Sophie did a small twirl as Sarah inspected her with a thoughtful gaze. For some reason, Sarah had arrived back from California a day before, late at night. She refused to say why, and stayed silent except for light cooing as they looked at each others presents. Although concerned, Sophie didn't bring it up at all. It was not her business, and if Sarah wanted to tell her she would.

"Adorable." the redhead nodded in approval, "The skirt is an improvement! You do suite them."

She didn't feel like it. The black pleated skirt came to her mid thighs, paired with black tights and boots, the only thing she was wearing that wasn't black was a dark blue shirt, that was thin enough to feel like it was apart of her skirt but thick enough not to draw attention to her bra. Maybe she should change to a sports bra instead? The entire thing was digging into her breasts, because for the first time in her post-puberty life she had found a bra that wasn't too big and was made for people with small breasts, like herself. But now it was too small, and making her want to burn it so it couldn't hurt her or anyone else anymore.

Yes, maybe she should change it.

She shrugged in response to Sarah as she pulled off the blue shirt and reached behind herself to unclasp her bra strap. "I don't feel comfortable wearing them."

"I understand." Sarah made a face while Sophie threw of her bra, heading to find one of her sports bras in her wardrobe drawers. "No one can look up trousers."

Sophie nodded in agreement and threw on the sports bra then her shirt, and moved to grab her shoes.

Today was the day of the ceremony, where she would stand on a stage and place a medal of bravery around Hamato Yoshi's neck as a 'thank you' to his heroic actions. The mayor would make a quick speech, probably mention the fact that the man he was giving the award to was not white or American, and then shake his hand for press photos, all while Sophie stood there polite and posed.

Her parents would see on the news or something and badger her about it. And she would ignore them, like she always did when they acted like that.

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's go." both girls walked out of their room and out of the dormitory. The stage; a wooden platform with blue drapes hiding the view of the University, had been set up in Washington Square Park, so many people who had came to watch the event, which also included reporters and journalists to broadcast the ceremony and ask questions afterwards. Sophie hoped to not be there when that happened.

An assistant of the mayor met them outside and led the short walk to the Park. Hamato Yoshi was standing at the stairs, conversing with the mayor himself. He flashed a smile to the two girls as they approached, leaning towards them after they shook hands with the mayor in greeting.

"Hello. Isn't this all a bit too much?" he whispered, pulling away with a wink.

"But you deserve it." Sarah replied, and Hamato Yoshi shrugged.

"I was just doing my duty as a human being, young one. Anyone else would do the same, just not by wearing a kimono and wielding a katana." he chuckled, and Sophie smiled. He was truly a kind man.

"We'll be heading on stage in a few minutes, Yoshi." the mayor, who's name Sophie didn't care about- _was that rude?_ -informed them. He didn't even look at her, which she didn't mind at all. She had heard he was a terrible person anyway.

Hamato Yoshi nodded and said goodbye to Sarah before following the mayor to the stage, Sophie giving a quick smile to her friend as she walked behind him, a medal handed to her by the mayor's assistant as she passed. As she ascended the stairs, to stand silently until her cue, she looked out at the crowds gathered to watch the ceremony.

Much of the crowd was made up local citizens, followed closely by cameramen and reporters and then, a few tourists who probably thought it was a daily occurrence. Yes, she did just insult herself.

Sophie's eyes widened slightly as she caught sight of a familiar yellow jacket in a sea of greens, reds and blues and she followed it up to the face of Channel 6 news anchor April O'Neil, the very same April O'Neil who had attempted to steal her camera right out from under her nose back in November.

 _Why? Out of all reporters working at that news station did it have to be **her?**_

If fate had set this up, then she was going to write a strongly worded email.

Her shock must have been on her face plain as day, as April looked right up from fiddling with her microphone clasped tightly in her hands and the two made _very_ awkward eye contact. She gulped, tugging on her shirt collar lightly as if April's stare had slithered itself into her clothes to make her feel really uncomfortable with the tight confines of her clothing.

She then glanced back at Sarah, who seemed to have also spotted her to. Sophie didn't know how Sarah, who was 5'3, could see through the crowd and find the same person but maybe the bright yellow jacket made her stand out like a needle in a haystack.

The redhead looked like she was going to charge the crowd and beat April into a pulp, and Sophie would have to follow to stop her, and then the entire event would find itself on YouTube watched by millions of people wanting to see a university student pummel a reporter.

 _Huh, if the mayor wanted this to trend he shouldn't actually be bothered by that._

Sophie coughed into her hand and pulled her eyes away from April and back to the mayor as the crowd settled down and the ceremony began.

The mayor stood at the podium, and began to say exactly what she had thought he would; _'this man, a hard working human being, came to this country for a fresh start, and absorbed what makes us all American. Today, he will recieve a medal of honor, for bravery against attacks on us, the American people-'._

 _Que him being Japanese, mention Pearl Harbor and damn this could turn into a history lesson for people everywhere._

She pursed her lips as he finished his speech-unsurprisingly mentioning what she knew he would-before it was time to place the medal around Hamato Yoshi's neck. She stepped forward at the mayor's gesture, and stood in front of Yoshi as he bowed and stood still as she began to place the medal over his head.

For a split second, she stopped.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she felt her eyebrow raise in confusion.

Something was wrong, something inside her was telling her to drop everything and run, and for the life of her she could not understand why. She turned her head, staring out into the crowd for a moment, taking in everyone before her eyes landed on the camera vans that had been given permission to park on the pavement of the park. None of them looked out of the ordinary, although anything and anyone could be dangerous these days. She had learned that the hard way-

"Miss Sophie, is something wrong?" Hamato Yoshi whispered, low enough so only she could hear.

"Yes, everything's-I don't know." she smiled at him. "I'm sure everything's fine." and she let go of the medal, letting it rest over his chest before smiling up at him, properly this time.

He stood to his full height-he was _very_ tall-and smiled down at her, before his eyes flickered out towards the crowd. His eyes widened.

"Down, now!" he barked the command and before she could turn to see what had caused him to freak out, he had pushed her onto the floor and dived after her.

Three gunshots rang out, flying over her and ripping the blue curtains behind the stage.

Sophie's eyes were wide, her cheek pressed into the wood of the stage as she lay flat on her stomach, staring out in the direction she had stepped onto the stage. She let out a breathe she hadn't realized she was holding, and then she noticed just how quiet it had gotten.

A high-pitched scream came from the crowd, and chaos erupted.

People ran in all directions, holding loved ones or even their possessions, trying to get far away as possible. Cameramen and reporters, fearless as they were, tried to stay and record what was happening, but the chaos of the crowd stopped them from getting a clear shot of the stage or the direction of the shots.

"Sophie!" she saw Sarah's legs run up the stairs leading to the platform and right for her.

"No, Miss Sarah-!" Hamato Yoshi began but the redhead ignored him to grab her and begin to pull her off stage. Sophie noticed, in her shocked state, that the mayor had been ushered of the stage by his security guards, leaving her and Yoshi on the floor. Bastards.

She shook her head and began to pull herself up onto her knees, frantically kicking up her feet to get of the stage. Her entire body was screaming _'Run, run, run, run or they'll get you!'_ and she began to understand near death experiences so much better now. If Hamato Yoshi hadn't seen something out of the corner of his eye, one or all of those bullets could have ended her life before she had even realized it. Okay, she joked about dying in the past but now-

She didn't want to think about it.

Sophie shakingly got down the stairs, Sarah still clutching her hand tightly and tugging her towards the treeline. "Come on!"

She looked behind her back on the stage to see if Hamato Yoshi was following or had decided to stay where he was, but he had shuffled towards the edge and rolled off, getting up and vanishing into the crowd like a boss.

"Okay, okay!" she nodded and tore after her, dodging and avoiding people, even as gunshots continued to ring out. They didn't seem to hit anyone, and Sophie wondered what the purpose was aiming at them, trying to cause chaos, but end up not even hitting anyone. She shook her head; sometimes people-crazy, insane people who needed help-just wanted to cause pandemonium. They jerked off to it or something.

She followed Sarah by her hair, the red acting as some sort of beacon as they left the crowd of people and down a path that led deeper into the park. For a minute, Sophie wondered why they just didn't run back to the University screaming and waving their arms in the air, but she realized that they couldn't run to a place full of people with shooters right behind them.

"What the fuck just happened?" Sarah asked as Sophie bent over, hands on her knees as she took deep breathes, exhausted.

"Someone firing at the mayor, maybe?" she replied, but she had already began shaking her head.

"They weren't aiming at him. He was nowhere near you." she said then stopped talking completely, her eyes widening in realization. Sophie began to straighten up; she didn't need a sign to know what she was thinking. She could see the wheels in her head turning, the pieces to a puzzle finally linking together, and it finally dawned on her. But she could tell that the reason, the answer, to the question she wanted to ask wasn't coming to her.

Because she didn't know that Sophie had taken a picture on her first night in New York and by doing that had unleashed living hell into her life, and the lives of everyone around her.

God she had to tell her. She had to tell her everything and then show her proof if she didn't believe her and beg for forgiveness for keeping such a secret from her best friend and do whatever she wanted until she forgave her-

"Sarah-" she began, but the redhead was ignoring her, staring wordlessly. "Sarah listen to me, I have to tell you something-" she stopped. "Sarah?"

Sarah wasn't even _looking_ at her, instead she was looking-

"Oh _god_!" she whimpered and used all of her body weight to push her friend of the path and into a bush. Sophie yelped, this time doing a roll instead of going straight through it, and landed in a heap in the grass on the other side.

 _This is the_ last _time someone-_

Two gunshots rang out, close enough it left her ears ringing, and she laid there in a daze. Her body slowly began to pull her legs up to her chest as she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the gunshot that marked her end.

"Hey!"

Her eyes snapped open and her whole body involuntarily relaxed.

 _April?_

"Police, hands up!" a deeper voice yelled.

She pulled herself up onto her knees and looked over the bush in the direction where the yelling had came from. The shooters, dressed in black and looking rather familiar-but not Foot soldiers, surprisingly-ran off into the thicket. A man, who Sophie noticed had been standing next to April O'Neil during the ceremony, cursed and ran after them. April didn't even glance in his or the shooters direction as she ran as fast as she could in her boots over to them.

 _Wait, Sarah!_

She gasped and slowly turned to where she had been standing, in the middle of the path, right in front of the shooters-...and her eyes went down to the dirt pavement, soaked with blood, mingling in with the much brighter strands of Sarah's red hair.

And she screamed.

* * *

 _"Leo! Leo! LEONARDO!"_

The turtle in question looked up from where he had been reading his book, and in the direction of the yelling.

He hadn't put the book down since Christmas, slowly reading and taking in every piece of information on the pages. Sometimes he would smile and softly caress the book cover, beautiful and enchanting as it was, and his mind would take him back to the girl who had given it to him. A personal friend-a friend that he had to share with one of his brothers, but a friend no less.

"Mikey?" he stood up, leaving the book on his bed, and hurried over to the section of the lair where the living room was located. Leo had lived with Mikey for eighteen years, and in all of them he had never heard him scream so loud or use his or any of his other brothers full names before. It was unnatural for the usually-loud turtle to screech in such a way.

He saw Raph jump down from the place they kept his small gym and Donnie turn in his chair and away from his computers to run to their brothers side. "Mikey, what's wrong?"

His youngest brother was standing in front of the TV, and Leo ignored it for a second to look at his face. His eyes were wide, and Leo felt a rush of fear begin to envelop him. He had never seen such a look on his face before.

He had seen heartbreak, when the officers they had now befriended had called them all 'monsters' and crushed poor Michelangelo's hope that humans other then April, Vernon and Casey would accept them. He had seen anger-not rage, like Raph's or even his-when Donnie had beaten him at a video game when they were ten.

He had seen him upset, when Raph had torn up a favorite teddy bear of his when they were seven regardless if Donnie and Splinter had fixed it and Raph was sent to his room, leaving Leo to comfort their youngest brother.

But this was different; this was pure distress, fear.

Leo followed his eyes to the TV screen; a female reporter was standing in front of a empty stage, officers and paramedics were behind her in the background tending to the people who were there, and the mayor was on stage speaking to the press that had gathered to report the event.

His blood ran cold.

 _'Precisely half an hour ago, gunshots were fired at the mayor at an award ceremony in Washington State Park. There have not been any reports as of late of any casualties, however one attendee was injured.'_

Leo's face fell as the picture of a redheaded, freckled, blue eyed girl appeared on screen next to the reporter. She seemed to be at a beach on vacation, and had pulled up her sunglasses to a beautiful smile was on her face as she stared into the camera. He knew that girl.

 _Leo froze as the ginger haired girl glanced into the alleyway, staring right at the spot he was. He began to pray to every God in every religion and a few superheroes as well that she couldn't see him. He couldn't deal with two relatively unknown people knowing about his existence, his father would kill him._

Oh, he definitely knew that girl.

 _'18 year old Sarah Pickford attended the University adjacent to the Park, and has sustained two gunshot wounds to the torso. She is in critical but stable condition. No one has stepped forth yet to claim responsibility for the attack'._

"Wasn't April and Casey there?" Donnie asked, his voice small, eyes glued to the screen.

"And wasn't-" Raph didn't get a chance to finish as the news replayed the moments before the chaos began.

Leo watched as Sophie placed the medal around the man called Hamato Yoshi's neck, before he threw them both down to the floor as gunshots were fired. The camera became a little wobbly, but that didn't stop Leo from keeping his eyes off Sophie, who laid still on the ground. His heart skipped a beat in fear.

Was the reporter wrong? Was Sophie hit after all?

It didn't matter in the end, as Sarah appeared in frame and helped her to her feet, before they disappeared off the stage. Then they were gone, and the camera kept rolling for a few minutes before it jumped back to the news room and they began to talk about International events, like what had just been shown didn't matter, wasn't important.

Someone, someone Leo (kind of) knew, had been injured, was in critical condition and they couldn't stop to care for even a little bit. Although, it wasn't as serious as other stuff happening, like world disasters and wars. It still mattered, especially to the people of New York.

The four brothers stood in silence, and even if one of them were talking Leo wouldn't have been able to hear. He felt like he was underwater, everything around him from the TV to the humming of the fridge in the kitchen was muffled. For a second he felt like he couldn't breathe. April, Casey and even Sophie had been there at the ceremony and they had heard nothing from any of them.

His breath hitched.

He was the reason April and Casey had been there in the first place. He hadn't told them that Sophie and Michelangelo were in contact, and that she had kept their secret. He precisely remembered April mentioning the ceremony to him, and how she was going to see if there was an opening to grab the SD card if she had it with her, and he had just nodded and continued his katas.

And now they could have been injured, killed even.

Why the fuck was he so obsessed with ninjitsu that he couldn't stop for just a second and pull his head out of his ass to tell his friends, people he cared about, that the situation had been sorted, although not in the way they thought?

 _God you're such a piece of shit, Leo-_ "...Leo? Leo!"

Donnie's voice pulled him out from the depths of his dark thoughts and he took a deep breath as if struggling for air. All three of his brothers were staring at him, different expressions on their faces; worry, confusion, concern...they were waiting for him to speak, to lead them, and he felt like he was drowning.

Which was ironic considering he was a turtle and could naturally swim as, mutant or not, it was in his DNA.

Leo felt his entire body relax, and without even taking his eyes of the TV, blindly watching but not listening, or even turning to look at any of his brothers, he stepped into his leadership role. The one he had been born and raised to take, as the eldest and most responsible of the four turtle brothers. He could hear Master Splinter humming as he listened to his music in his section of the lair, oblivious to what was happening outside, and Leo was glad. Any other time he would have rushed to Mikey's side the moment he heard his yells.

"Donnie," his brother snapped to attention at the sound of his name, "call April and inform me when you get any information from her."

The second youngest brother nodded and rushed off to contact their friend, typing furiously on the piece of technology on his arm. Usually he would stay right where he was and call her in front of them, but Leo guessed he sensed he needed to be alone right now so he could punch a wall or scream into one of the many couch cushions or pillows.

"Raph," the hothead of the brothers looked up, "inform Sensei about what happened, and tell him we may be leaving tonight to see April or she and Casey will be coming here, maybe...with another guest. He'll know who when you tell him."

He sent a nod in his direction and marched off without any questions, because he knew right away who this 'mystery guest' was. For once Leo was glad he saw the severity of the situation and didn't lash out or grumble about his task. One of the few times Leo could relay on Raphael.

"-and Mikey..." he turned his body fully to this brother. Mikey had his phone grasped tightly in his hand Leo feared he would break it if he put more pressure on it, but luckily he didn't. He knew Donnie did not want to fix his T-phone for the fifth time.

He stared at Michelangelo, blue meeting blue, and even though Leo didn't have to say it as the orange clad turtle knew immediately what he was going to ask, it didn't stop him from saying it anyway. As a leader should.

"Call Sophie, I think it's time we all officially meet her. Don't you think?"


	9. Chapter 9

**If you love PS4's Spider-Man, OCs and great plots check out my friends' story Arachnophobia on my profile (she gave me permission) or check it out on her AO3 profile where you can also find Chrysalis!**

* * *

Eight hours.

Eight hours, thirteen minutes, and twenty-seven seconds.

That's how long it took for Sarah to get out of surgery.

Sophie remained curled up, pacing or eating something from the nearest fast food place for those full eight hours, alone, waiting for any news. The hallway was practically empty, something Sophie thought only happened on TV.

April and the man who she later identified as Casey frequently visited, out of concern (April) or to get an account of the events leading up to the shooting (Casey). The Channel 6 news reporter, who had kept her job regardless of Sophie's complaint, was also the one who kept sneaking in the fast food for her to eat.

By the fourth time Sophie had pretty much forgiven her for trying to steal her camera.

On that fourth time, they had also shared a few words that wasn't just 'here you go', 'thank you' and 'you're welcome'.

"Mikey's been calling you for hours, I think he's about to storm the sewers and run into the hospital himself to check if you're all right." April said, sitting down on an empty chair next to her, placing her bag and more fast food on the opposite chair. She raised an eyebrow at the heavy bag next to Sophie, but decided not to comment.

"I'm a bit preoccupied at the moment. My friend just got shot for me, so I apologize if my attention is elsewhere." she replied, not too nicely. Half of it was sarcasm she absolutely meant.

"I know that." April said softly. "I just thought you could at least call him soon."

"I will, he'll just have to wait." she drew the conversation to a close as a doctor walked out of Sarah's hospital room.

Both of them jumped off their seats, April doing her best to hide the fast food bag, as the doctor neared them.

"Sarah Pickford?"

"Here! Her parents are still on the way. Is she all right?"

"You must be her friend who rode with her. She's awake and asking for you; you can see her if you like, but you must leave once her family is here. It's past visiting hours you see, but I'll make an exception for you." he smiled, turning to April. "Are you a member of this young lady's family?"

"Older sister." April lied.

If she had no relation to Sophie or Sarah, she would be asked to leave, and then how would she be able to pester her more about returning Mikey's calls?

"All right. Please tell Miss Pickford to ring the bell if she needs any assistance." he gave a nod and walked past them both and disappeared down the hall.

April sat back down again. "Go, I'll wait out here."

Sophie nodded and slowly walked towards the room door, slowly pushing it open and peering inside. The windowsill full of cards and flowers was the first thing she saw, followed by balloons near the bed and then finally, the pale wide awake form of her friend, who was smiling in her direction.

"Hi." she whispered. The brunette let out a muffled sob and ran to her bedside.

"I'm so sorry!" she sniffled. The redhead (who's hair had been removed from it's bun and now hang loosely around her shoulders) reached out a hand and took one of hers.

"I have a wicked cool scar now, girl, don't worry about it."

"I'm still sorry!"

"It's not your fault; you didn't shoot me or cause me to be shot." Sarah joked.

 _Yes, I did!_

No matter what, she couldn't tell her why she had been shot by the Foot clan, nor could she tell her why they had stormed that mall and rounded them all up to search for someone. She probably already suspected they were after her, and if she was told about the existence of four mutant turtles and their rat sensei she would call her insane and crazy, regardless if she had the proof.

She couldn't tell her anything.

"This is the second incident we've been involved in now." she said instead. "We must have the worst bad luck in the world."

"Aw, is baby face Sophie scared?" Sarah teased, reaching up and squishing her cheeks together with her fingers.

 _God, another jab at the fact my face and height makes me look like a high-schooler? I'm 5'6!_

"No!" she removed her hand. "It's just not safe. What if next time I get shot or worse, you get killed!"

She saw Sarah sober up in an instant. She didn't want to be that person, but it had to be done. This was serious.

"Okay. Well, I'll be stuck here for two-three weeks. Happy new year to me, right?" she let out a forced laugh. "But what about you? You can't stay at the university until this is all over."

Sophie sighed.

She was right.

They knew where she went to school, and they could easily find out which room she lived in. She had already figured this out on the way to the ambulance, and made her decision.

Tiana and Penelope, when she called them, were happy to help pack most of her stuff and drop it of at the hospital for her.

Now all she had to do was call Mikey, and inform the university. They would understand; she hoped.

"I know. I'm staying at a friends for the mean time; I'll just get my lecturer to email me the work." she smiled. And if Mikey's father wouldn't let her stay, then she could always ask April. Now that she knew stealing her camera and SD card wasn't something she or Leonardo had to do anymore.

"And I'll stay here until I'm discharged." she chuckled. "Seems we've both got our plans in order."

"Yeah..." Sophie trailed off.

Sarah smiled, but then it disappeared completely as she looked past her. "Oh no." she said in a mock-defeated voice.

"Sarah!" three voices called from the door.

Sophie hurried to get out of the way as three boys (who she identified as her brothers; Alex, Taylor and James) all flocked to her bedside, fussing over her. She could see her parents talking outside the door with the doctor, the wife nearly in tears and the husband desperately trying to stay strong.

Sarah had a great family who cared about her gratefully.

So why did she come back from California so early?

Sophie gave one look back to her friend, only to stifle a laugh when she saw the female redhead mouthing 'Help me' at her brother's fussing. She shrugged helplessly and quietly left, waving at Sarah who gave her a small wave back.

She slipped by her parents and the doctor, heading to April who stood up at the sight of her and picked up their bags, including Sophie's own.

Instead of taking it, she held out her hand; "Can I call Mikey now?"

* * *

"Hi, A-Sophie!"

Leo's head shot up from his book at the sound of Michelangelo's excitement. He was clutching his phone, a smile on his face at the sound of her voice.

Donnie turned in his seat at the name and even Raph looked up from the fridge.

The blue clad turtle got up and headed for Mikey, trying to listen in on the conversation while dodging his brother who was trying to push him away with his other hand.

"It's okay, sweet cheeks. I understand. How is your friend?" he threw a disgruntled look at his older brother, who looked like he was having an aneurysm.

Sweet cheeks? When were they on intimate terms?

"That's good. Do you remember our talk?" Leo tried to swipe for the phone, but Mikey easily dodged him and stuck his leg out and placed his foot on his carapace, keeping him at bay. Leo looked from his foot then back to his face, his eyes wide. He was not expecting that.

He pushed his foot away and made another grab for the phone, hissing a quiet threat at his brother who stuck his tongue out in return. "Give me the fucking phone, Mikey."

"Fat chance." he whispered back, pulling away the phone to answer before placing it back against his ear.

 _Wait, do we even have ears?_

A quick check underneath his bandana told him, no, they didn't. Mikey gave him a confused look but said nothing as he listened to the voice on the other side of the phone. Leo made one swipe for the phone, his arm just missing his head causing him to lean forward and against his carapace, making Mikey dig his feet in to keep them both from falling over. Leo wobbled on his foot for a second, sticking both his arms out to reach for the phone one more time.

Mikey leaned back as far as he could, frowning. "Oh; so where are you going to stay?"

Leo opened his mouth one last time to order him to give him the device when a loud echo of a voice filled the space and through the phone.

"Here?"

The eldest and the youngest of the Hamato brothers turned their heads from the phone to the entrance to the lair, where the person in question stood, a hand still holding onto the phone and the other around the strap of a bag. She looked a little green in the face- _ha, green in the face, you're hilarious Leo_ -from walking through the sewers to reach them but other then that, she looked sheepish.

April stood behind her, smiling and lifting a bag full of food for all of them as if to signal another reason she was there before heading straight for the kitchen.

"Sophie."

Mikey's voice was full of excitement and happiness, while Leo's was almost quiet, whispered in disbelief. She hung up the call with a simple press of a button, and then took a deep breath of the scent of lavender that was the most dominant smell in the lair to flush out the sewer stink, courtesy of Donnie and April.

As the two turtle brothers pulled away from each other, a large figure belonging to their taller and much bigger brother blocked their way as Raph made his way to loom over the human, who stumbled back almost in surprise at how big he was.

"Ah," her shocked look turned to a knowing smile, " _you_ must be Raphael."

"That's right. _You_ must be Sophie." he sneered, the toothpick balancing against his lips so lightly Sophie had no idea how he could accomplish such a feat.

The two stared at each other, green on green, the silence causing the other three brothers to look at one another. Leo took a cautious step forward, ready to stop Raph by any means necessary-which didn't make sense, why would he want to hurt her?

Until Raph smiled, sticking his hand out and shaking hers in return. "About time we met ya. Donnie, get over here!"

The tallest but slimmest turtle stood from his chair and made his way over, typing furiously on a device on his arm. Before she could lean forward to look, he shone a bright blue light at her from his glasses causing her to squint and pull back, throwing the phone-holding hand up to shield her eyes.

"Donnie!" Leo hissed at his rudeness but he ignored his eldest brother as he peered down at the smaller human.

"It's her!" he turned off his glasses only to come face to face with Leo's glare. "What? I was just checking."

"Why would I not know you I am?" Sophie asked.

"Oh it's not that-" he began but Leo's glare hardened. "Urm, I'm Donatello."

"Sophie." she smiled. Then her eyes flickered to the blue clad turtle next to him, who completely forgot the ability to speak.

Seeing her from the shadows was completely different to this. He could see more of her now in the light; her brown hair chopped short and really curly, natural red, blonde and light brown strands of hair mixed in with the dark brown. He noticed that he had made a mistake the first time they had officially met, that her eyes weren't the hazel he had once thought. They were green.

 _But I was certain-_

She sighed, her entire body relaxing for the first time since she had taken that photo on the rooftop in September.

"And you must be Leonardo." she smiled softly.

He gave a nod. "I am."

"It's about time we met." they shook each others hands. Her hand was so soft, and his was too, minus the part the back of his hand was scaly as they should be considering he was a turtle. You know, at the end of the day.

"Thanks." he began. "For not telling anyone about us-"

 _Well._

The awkward silence that filled the air was tense, and the two let go of each other's hands. Leo couldn't, and wouldn't, blame her for telling. April told Sacks because she thought he knew that they had mutated considering he was the one who began Project Renaissance in the first place. Dr. Marsh, as Mikey had said, had also been apart of it too. So telling him wasn't her fault either, considering he had half known about their existence.

Minus the whole 'supposed to be piles of ash lying in the rubble' situation.

"Miss Ahrens."

The boys turned and moved out of the way, giving Sophie a full view of their father making his way towards them with his slow walk, a hold on the cane April had bought for him months prior.

"Oh!" she squeaked.

 _Well that answers that mystery._

Master Splinter stopped in front of her and smiled, stroking his long white beard. "I have heard so little but so much about you over the past few months."

She laughed nervously. What should she say; sorry I took your son's photo and then befriended your other son without telling you?

"There are no need for words. Maybe we should speak privately?"

'Privately' meant in his little meditating area with his sons sat around them listening and not somewhere where they could speak without said-sons listening in on them, as she would later learn after finding herself kneeling on a cushion, Master Splinter in front of her and the four boys kneeling in a line right beside them. April, having already had this conversation once before, decided to stay in the kitchen.

"What has my son told you about us, Miss Ahrens?" he asked, pouring a cup of tea for himself (as Sophie disliked the beverage and politely declined).

"He's told me about you all; that's it." Mikey sheepishly smiled.

"Anything about our origins?" he continued. At her head shake he smiled and placed his teapot back down and picked up his cup.

"Eighteen years ago my sons and I were normal animals, used as experiments for an alien substance that fell from space so many years ago." he began.

She nodded thoughtfully. "Project Renaissance; Dr. O'Neil, April's father, died in a fire to burn it all."

"That's correct. He found out what Sacks was wanting to do with the mutagen and decided that it all must be destroyed, including us." he smiled. "But April saved us, and placed us in the sewers for our safety. That's when the mutagen began to change us, and we became what we are today."

"Mutants." Raph said, but it wasn't with malice or disgust like it once was.

"We lived down here, the boys yearning for the world above, something I could not give them. I knew, one day, they would go to the surface either by choice or with permission, and I knew right then they needed to learn how to protect themselves. One day, when I was cleaning our home, which we have left behind so long ago, I found a book of ninjitsu."

Sophie scrunched up her nose. "So right after you decided that the boys needed to learn how to protect themselves you just so happened to find a book about martial arts?"

At her words, Splinter's ears flattened against his head as he lifted his cane and tapped her on the head with it.

"Ouch!"

"Don't question the story."

She rubbed her head, her bottom lip sticking out to display her annoyance. Mikey failed to stop a stiffed laugh from coming out of his mouth, much to her chagrin, while Raph snorted. Donnie, however, was the best at hiding his amusement as he pursued his lips. Leo just smiled, letting out a breath of air to signal his own stifling of a laugh.

"I trained my sons in the way of the ninja after learning myself, and when they reached the age of fifteen they began to sneak out, fighting crime in the night. They weren't as sneaky as I," he smiled and looked at Mikey out of the corner of his eye, who laughed, "and I did eventually discover this. But by then it was too late; they had met April and I knew that she would go to someone looking for answers, like you did. That someone was Sacks, who used the Foot Clan to kidnap three of my sons, leaving Raphael to save his brothers. They tried to drain them of their mutagen, their blood, kill them. But thanks to April, Mr. Fenwick and Raphael they were unsuccessful."

A burst of anger sparked in her heart like a flame. How dare he kidnap them? Try and kill them?

Picturing Mikey and Leo treated like animals; tied up, pale, losing a lot of blood, made her sick. She didn't know Donnie that well (or Leo but at least they had met before), but just one look at his sweet face made her blood boil at the thought of them doing this to these turtles.

"They stopped Sacks and saved New York City. They fought the Shredder, the leader of the Foot and my family's greatest nemesis, twice. We have no idea where he is now, except with the Kraang, the very alien that caused the giant tear in the sky last year."

She had heard about that so she nodded.

"You see Miss Ahrens; only three humans like yourself know and fraternize with this family. Michelangelo, like I have said, has told me a lot about you and I believe you are a trustworthy young woman, as you have proven. Informing Dr. Marsh of our continued existence was not your fault, just like it was not April's for Sacks learning of us. I know you are in deep trouble with this so called doctor, and on behalf of my sons I would like to offer you a temporary place in our home, until this mess is fixed."

"Master Splinter-" she remembered Mikey telling her that that was what everyone else called him, "-thank you for your generosity."

"Do you accept?" he asked with a smile.

She nodded frantically. "Oh, I do!"

"Great!" Mikey was the first to jump up, stopping whatever his father was about to say to pull her up and drag her unceremoniously to a corner of the Lair hidden by a beaded curtain. Raph grabbing her bag and Donnie following behind. "You can stay where April usually does when she stays over. You'll love it, cleanest part of the house and that is saying something."

"Considering we live in an actual dump?" Raph offered.

"April helped provide us with sprays you usually plug into a wall." Donnie pushed up his glasses.

"Oh, did you add them in?" she asked, a little bit surprised but also in awe. "That's amazing!"

A blush appeared on his cheeks and she smiled as he coughed, not used to such praise from anyone, especially girls his age considering he was a giant turtle and did not generally see them like human boys. The praise usually came from his brothers, father, April, Casey and Vern; the latter two doing it in a way that couldn't tell him if they were actually astonished or just humoring him out or disinterest and boredom.

As the four walked off Master Splinter sighed, "Michelangelo, Raphael-Nevermind."

"Father." Leo was the only one to stay, not having been excused. He was disappointed and annoyed at his brothers disrespect, but understood. They all were excited about a new friend, especially one their age staying with them. "How long is she staying?"

"As long as she needs to while you and your brothers find out what Marsh is planning." Splinter looked at his son. "It may be a while, and humans do need regular visits to the surface or she will go crazy, in a matter of speaking. Later, I will talk to her about her college course and how Donatello can help her continue her education down here without Marsh tracking her. Naturally, I will also speak to April about Sophie regularly visiting her at night with you boys, if you would like."

"Yes!" he coughed to hide his excitement. "Yes, we would like that very much Master."

Splinter smiled, nudging with his head in the direction his sons and guest had taken off in. "Go."

With a happy bounce he tore off after his brothers and Sophie, only stopping to turn and bow in respect before dashing off to join them.

Splinter only chuckled and went back to his tea.

* * *

"Sir."

Dr. Marsh turned from where he was staring at the giant TV screen towards a man in a white lab coat. "What is it?"

"We've collected the blood sample."

"Well, is it from her?" he hissed. "Is it?"

"It's...unclear sir," he gulped and rubbed the back of his neck. "It is, however, from one of the two girls."

"A 50/50 chance then. Give it to the doctor and his lab assistants."

"Already done sir."

"Excellent. You're excused."

The man, however, did not move a muscle, telling him that he had more news to share. He sighed. "Yes, what is it?"

"Sir, Miss Irene and Miss Marie Ahrens do not share the same biological animal DNA as Miss Caroline Ahrens." he said. "She does share it with her mother, but hospital reports tell us she had her reproductive organs removed last year. It is unknown yet if Miss Sophie Ahrens carries the same one, as the blood sample we received from the hospital in England-" stole would be the right word. "-only had enough to tell us it was something reptilian or amphibian."

"Hmm." he thought for a moment, stroking his chin. "How old is this Miss Caroline?"

"11? 12? We are unsure."

"No, no. I may be many things, but I am not someone who forces the underage to carry such a..." he smirked, "dangerous creation. What is the DNA?"

The scientist learned forward and handed over a clipboard, which he took and looked at.

 **01\. IRENE FRANCESCA AHRENS**

 **ANIMAL DNA: LEPUS ARCTICUS**

 **02.** **SOPHIE CELIA AHRENS**

 **ANIMAL DNA: UNKNOWN**

 **03.** **MARIE ALEXANDRA AHRENS**

 **ANIMAL DNA: LEPUS ARCTICUS**

 **04\. CAROLINE ELENA AHRENS**

 **ANIMAL DNA-**

With one glance at the words at the bottom of the page, his natural frown disappeared, and the scientist watched a smirk work it's way onto his face.

"Tell me, sir," his voice was deep and he couldn't make out the tone, "are turtles reptiles or amphibians?"

"Uh," the scientist scratched his head. "Reptiles although they actually should be considered both because of their-why, sir?"

Dr. Marsh was silent for only a few moments, so still that he had thought he had died, until he lifted his hand and waved him off. Which he did, letting out a sigh of relief as he rushed off back to the laboratory where his fellow scientists were working on a way to take the blood of a mutant, separate both the blood and the mutagen and inject it safely into the sperm of a man collected from sperm banks which they had modified not to pass on any DNA but from the mutagen, then injected into the egg of a woman who had 'volunteered' to be apart of their project for cash; after nine months, the then created baby would be born, all depending on their mother's dormant animal DNA and not based solely on four mutant turtles; something that they had already cracked weeks ago.

But, to make their own army of _mutants_.

They could win a Noble Prize.

At the thought of such a prestigious award and the fame they would achieve in the science community, Harold Lilja giddily walked the rest of the way to the labs.

Dr. Marsh grinned.

"Well, well, _well_." he said to the empty room.

"What are the _odds_ of that?"

Because at the bottom of the page, read the words;

 **TRACHEMYS SCRIPTA SCRIPTA**

Or commonly known as, a yellow bellied slider _turtle_.

This has made his and his team of scientists jobs so much easier.

* * *

 **A TMNT reference in here, very obscure; cookies for you if you get it. Actually, there might be another one depending on if you view it based solely on looks and not anything else.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Takes a break from writing for December and January: *feels refreshed, rewatches the 2016 movie to get myself back pumped up, ready to write* This is fine.  
** **Internet keeps not responding because my sister has moved back in to help my mother after her surgery and so the internet can't reach my laptop or something across the house so I can't use the website documents to write the next chapter: That's fine.  
** **Finds out she's staying until the start of April making it four-five months that I haven't updated: This is no longer fine.**

 **Not unless I save every minute and switch to _MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE_. So I would have updated in February if it wasn't for this. Grrr.**

* * *

For a dirty sewer, they sure had made this place feel like home.

The small corner that was designated the guest room was separated from the rest of the 'lair', as Mikey called it, by long strands of beads. So many in fact that it was hard to see through it, mainly because the boys didn't necessarily have 'rooms' but parts of their home they claimed as their own and without the tens yet thousands of beads blocking their view of the guest room they would be able to see _everything_.

And Sophie was not having that.

The 'guest room' was only big enough to hold a bed-which touched all three walls-and enough room on the floor to keep bags of clothes and other essentials. So no wardrobe or chest of drawers or even a desk to sit on, which was fine to her but her back was going to be misshapened once she was out of there and back into her University dorm and not leaning half way down the wall on her bed, facing the doorway just so she could see if someone came in.

"Angelcakes! Hey, Sophi _eeee_!"

Mikey's high-pitched almost-a-shriek of her name dragged her out of the music currently blasting through her headphones and the sketch in her new sketchbook. She couldn't bring her computer down here, trying to keep the 'she's in witness protection across the country' story running. All of the stuff that could track her was in her dorm room, and she was praying Sarah wasn't going through her stuff for even a moment of curiosity.

And if she or anyone else was even _touching_ her computer or phone or laptop, Donnie would be alerted immediately from his own computer. Three cheers for Donatello!

She yanked her buds out of her ears, "What?!"

She loved Mikey like a little brother, the best friend she never knew was possible to have, but _dear **god**_ if he only called her for something not even remotely important like Splinter died of a stroke or one of Donnie's science experiments exploded and now he's choking on his own blood she would kick him in the teeth-

"Raphael needs your help!"

 _You are saved for another day, Michelangelo._

"Okay, okay, tell him I'm coming!" she dropped her sketchbook, pencil and headphones onto the bed and wriggled off, planting her feet onto the floor and pushing herself up.

She knew, or hoped, that it was about what she thought it was. The two of them had been working on it since a few days after she moved into the lair once Raph had discovered her artistic ability. The start of their friendship had been a bit different then the one between him and April.

She remembered the brunette telling her about the first few hours she knew Raph. There was obvious tension-the turtle believing that she would think them grotesque, like the boys had all subconsciously grown up to believe-until they paired up together along with Vern to save his brothers. Raphael had gotten used to the idea of humans accepting them like April, Vern and Casey had and so the tension that had once been was not there with Raph and her.

Which was excellent, considering what could have been a rather tense living quarters if the opposite had occurred.

Sophie peeled off her jeans and replaced them with overalls. She was already wearing the shirt that she didn't care much about getting dirty; that every human owned. Toeing on her boots she pulled back the beads to keep them from whacking her in the head if she just breezed through (and she was _not_ dealing with months of being hit in the face repeatedly every morning, noon and night) and entered the rest of the lair.

Michelangelo was on the couch, reclined with modified headphones on his head as he played a game on the TV. From the candle smell Leonardo was in the dojo and the classical piano music Splinter was in his alcove. Donatello was on the sofa next to Mikey, his knees against his plastron and his nose in a book. Raphael wasn't in his little gym hole, meaning he was in the garage area of the lair.

She past in front the couch and TV and headed for the stairs that would lead her to Raph, knocking Mikey's headphones off his head as she went. She smiled at his small cry of 'Hey!' as the plastic band covered his eyes, and Donnie's chuckle as he moved his feet out of the way so she could pass. Her eyes flickered to the slightly open double doors where light was streaming out off and where Leo was, meditating.

"Raph, you hollered?" she jumped down the stairs and headed straight for the legs sticking out from under a motorbike suspended in the air.

"Hey, Tough Girl." he slid out from underneath the vehicle, taking a welding mask off his head. "The paper's finished, Casey dropped it off this mornin'."

"Oh, really? Finally!" she hurried over to the table where paint spray-red, green, white and black-lay along a table. In front was the sticker that the spray would be used on, to keep the red motorbike sleek and shiny without bits of other colors splashed across it.

Raphael had come to her days ago asking for a sketch of something to put on his bike and so off she went to create it. In two hours flat she had the drawing of a turtle skull (using said-turtle's head as a layout because the boys didn't really have the exact same head shape as actual turtles) with a snake slithering through the eye holes before coming out to wrap around the head.

Raph gave it to Casey who had some friends prepare for it to be used as a stencil for the side of the bike.

Sophie clapped her hands together. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"Just paint it on." he pointed to the piece of metal already coated in it's base color. "Then I'll add it back to the bike once I'm done."

"Okay, I can do that."

Sitting on the floor in complete silence with Raphael was an occurrence that happened often with her; he liked the non-forced conversation between them and Sophie just enjoyed his company. He was a giant but terrifying teddy bear.

So as she worked on spraying he worked on his bike in total silence, until it was broken;

"Do ya' miss it?" he asked from underneath the vehicle.

She looked up from her work. "Hmm?"

"Up top. Do ya' miss it?"

She shrugged, then realized he couldn't see her. "Uh, kind of? I don't miss the people."

He stopped working and backed out, eye ridge raised. "No?"

"Nah." she shook her head. "I don't like the company of people much."

"What about mutants?" he didn't mean for it to sound spiteful, but it came out like that anyway. If she noticed she didn't say anything, instead chuckling.

"You're all less judgy then humans."

"Well, look at us?" he gestured to himself. "If we were we'd be a little hypocritical."

"That's a big word coming from you, Raphael." she teased.

He grunted, but couldn't keep a smile of his face. "Shut up." they sat in silence for a few moments before he spoke up again. "So why did you come to New York then?"

She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Well, to be quite honest with you I didn't want to. I was kind of a hermit, and to get me out more my parents thought forcing me to go to a University abroad would help."

"They didn't let ya decide for yourself?"

She shook her head then noticed Raph's glare; not at her.

 _Same buddy, same._

But she decided to defend their choice anyway; "I'm glad they did though. I met so many good friends and I get to be apart of _this_." she gestured to their surroundings. "Not many people can say that."

"Will ya go back?" at first she thought he meant the surface, but then he elaborated at her confused eyebrow raise. "To England I mean, once you're done here?"

"Well unless I can find a job here that allows me to stay I can't; my student visa only allows me to live in America for the years I'm here to learn." she didn't say anything about trying. She didn't know if she actually wanted to; nothing was keeping her here. She always wanted to travel though, like her degree was supposed to give her. She could get a job and travel to exciting new places.

He nodded to the piece of metal in front of her. "It's done?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" she turned it around to show him. "What do you think?"

He flashed a grin. "It's good."

She smiled and stood up, stretching. Sitting in the same position for a very long time made her back ache; at a relieved crack she sighed in relief and Raph smirked when Donnie let out an audible flinch. "He hates when other people that aren't him do that." he muttered.

"I'll see you later then?" she winced at the paint stains on her overalls.

 _Damn it. That's going in the washer._

She hoped April had time to do the laundry for her then felt a pang of guilt; because of the lack of any washers or dryers down here April volunteered to have all of her clothes washed as well as any that the boys or Splinter owned which wasn't much but masks, pants and robes. She hated that it forced her in that predicament-using someone to do something she could do by herself-but she had no choice in the matter.

Not until Marsh was out of their lives.

She hurried up the stairs and to her room, changing into the pajamas she had been wearing before she went to help Raph and leaving to go see Mikey and Donnie, placing her stained overalls into a bag full of laundry she would take up with her that night when they went on their 'nightly outing' to April's, after the boys finished their patrol.

During that time she would watch some shows with Splinter, surprisingly sharing a common interest with him. She had introduced the rat to Brooklyn Nine-Nine and they had just finished Season 4 together after having the third episode rudely cut off by the usually careful Leo tripping over the TV wires.

Her exclamation of offense and surprise and Splinter's loud _'Leonardo!'_ as the pixels turned black was the only thing the other boys heard, as well as their leader's frantic apologizing. She never found out why he had been so caught up in his head that he had forgotten the layout of his own home.

 _Hey, where **is** Leonardo?_

The doors to the dojo were thrown open and the extinguished candles almost nubs. She didn't know why Leo didn't meditate on the platform Splinter usually used, but she thought it was because he wanted privacy from his brothers. Which was understandable; she knew that feeling.

She hadn't realized she had voiced the thought until Donnie spoke up; "Down the hall." he pointed without lifting his head up from his book, and she followed his finger to a hall she realized she hadn't explored before. When the turtle didn't continue and Mikey was too invested in his video game to offer anymore information, she began the trek to the creepily dark hallway and the doorway at the end.

It was situated on a side wall, which meant she couldn't get a clear view of what was inside as she stepped closer but could see steam pouring out. It wasn't his room, his bed was in the main room like all the others and not even Donnie had a room to himself for all his inventions.

She quietly-so not to disturb him-crept towards the doorway and peaked in.

By the doorway was Leo's clothing, including his katanas and the mask she remembered not being around his face in the camera. April had bought him a new one for Christmas, and she couldn't help but notice the dark blue brought out his eyes much better then the old one.

Leo was near the back of the room, facing the wall, hands placed on it to keep himself up right as water from a shower-head slid down his...naked body (as naked as he could be considering he was turtle and could not remove his shell). Her eyes widened.

Why did it not occur to her that it was a goddamn _shower_ room? Steam was coming out of it! That's a telltale clue!

 _Because you're a dumbass, I thought you knew this?_

She began to back away, leaving him to shower, but her eyes went straight back to him and how the water slid down his biceps and toned legs-my god she was a pervert. She turned her head away, trying to give him at least some privacy, but she caught sight of his mask and the mischievous side of her called out; take it and pretend to be Leo to the others so you can forget you perved on the poor turtle.

So she reached out and took it. As quietly as she could, she began to back out of the doorway.

Then his head snapped towards her, and she bolted.

She ran back into the main part of the lair, giggling like crazy, passing Splinter who was holding a katana between both paws. Her brain took note of it, but the rest of her could only think about running far away from the terrapin who had burst out of the shower room still dripping wet, trying to get his clothes on so he could chase after her.

Her giggling caught Donnie and Mikey's attention who both looked up just in time to see her run towards the couch, use the arm of the furniture to push herself up and use their shells to hop over them as quickly as she could before jumping down on the other side and racing towards the entrance usually used by their human friends.

Leo skidded out of the hallway-nearly slipping on the floor-and gave chase, but because of her size and surprising speed he didn't even get close to her. So the only thing he could do was cut her off by throwing himself over the slide leading into the lair and vaulting over.

Sophie's eyes widened as he appeared in front of her, blocking her way, so she just dug her heels into the ground and turned around running to the kitchen. She was certain she heard him let out a throaty chuckle but was too busy trying to run away then stop and listen fully.

 _But he is having fun, so that's a plus._

She quickly through a look behind her, and her eyes widened.

Splinter, Donatello, Michelangelo and even Raphael-who poked his head up at the commotion-watched as Leonardo sped up then dropped and skidded right past her (a giant shit eating grin on his face, sent right at her) before jumping up directly in her path.

She came to a stop but before she could turn fully around and set off again he grabbed her hand, spun her in a circle reminiscent of dancing that caused her to stumble out of dizziness and crash into his chest. As she stepped back to look up at him, an apology already on her lips even though her slamming into him was _entirely his fault_ , the mask slid out of her hand and she watched as he slowly put it back around his eyes, tying it into a tight knot.

The giant shit eating grin was still on his face as he kept eye contact with her. The corners of his eyes crinkled, amusement flashing in his blue irises.

"Haha?" she smiled, and he chuckled in response. Then the two realized just how close they were standing to each other.

She took a few steps back while Leo practically launched into the air to give her some space. She was so lucky that when she was flustered it didn't show on her face and it seemed to be the same for Leo too as there was no change of color on his own face. The only way she knew that he was equally as flustered as herself was the way his eyes flickered back and forth from her to the floor.

She rubbed the back of her neck then spotted Master Splinter watching the both of them, an amused smile on his face, still standing where he had been when she had ran past him. He still had the blade in his hand, but now it was pointing towards the floor as he watched the two mess around.

Now she really should be blushing; because that meant he had watched her walk down the hallway and into the shower room. If she was him, he would have thought the exact opposite of her attended purpose.

"I'm sorry Master Splinter, I was just-"

 _Wait a **goddamn** minute._

"Were you going to _stab_ me?" she looked at him surprise, her jaw dropped. Leo chuckled but it cut off when he noticed the same thing she did; why _was_ his father carrying a katana?

"Of course not Miss Ahrens." Splinter said calmly. Then a pause. "I was going to stab both of you."

Raph burst out into fits of laughter, almost roaring, at his words. Donnie smacked his forehead into his book, a smile on his face as he kept himself from laughing. Mikey decided to do the exact opposite and fall onto the floor from the couch, laughing equally as loud as his older red-clad brother.

 _"Dad!"_

A bubble of laughter rose in Sophie's throat, and Leo looked at her in surprise as she began to laugh along with his brothers. It wasn't funny! Well, it kind of was...

A smile of his own began to creep on his face but before anyone could notice Sophie turned and ran to his youngest brothers.

"My seat!" she threw herself onto the recliner, which immediately engulfed her. It was made by Donnie to sit giant mutant turtles, not a small human. Leo chuckled at her antics and walked over, taking a seat next to Donatello. Raphael popped out of nowhere, still wiping his hands clean as he took the other recliner. Splinter went back to his part of the lair, leaving his children and their friend alone.

"So, Don." Sophie stretched, cracks and pops coming from her legs and arms. Donnie muttered something about 'twice in the last half an hour' before looking up from his book for another time.

"Yes?"

"How did you do the tattoos?" she gestured to Leo and Mikey's arms-both with the same design-as the latter played his video game, with Raph watching, and Leo relaxed in the couch his arms on the back of the sofa. He was paying attention to Mikey's game, but was looking from time to time at her. "I didn't know tattoo guns worked with your skin?"

"They don't; I had to create a needle that could penetrate our skin,"-Donatello shot a look at Mikey's immature snort and the muttered repeat of the word-"because human tattoo guns couldn't."

"Whoa," Sophie leaned forward and poked Leo's arm as he was the closest. "Incredible."

"Oh well, I-" the purple clad turtle looked down, coughing. His cheeks would have been a definite red against green if his body could show it. "Thank you."

Leo was almost as bad as he; he had visibly shivered at the light touch on his bicep and how her fingertips traced the outline of the tattoo. He shuffled and she pulled away, an apology on her lips thinking he was uncomfortable at the interaction and he was too awkward to tell her the exact opposite. Instead he looked away back at the TV, noticing her drooped look as she leaned back into the recliner. Before he could say anything the fates decided to give him an escape route as the alarms of Donnie's computer began to ring.

They all, including Sophie, jumped up and rushed over-Mikey taking a little extra time as he saved and paused his game-to run over. "What is it, Donnie?"

 _Marsh? Have they got him?_

"The Foot Clan broke into a-...blood bank?!" it must have been a rare occurrence if the four brothers looked confused.

"A blood bank?" Leo exclaimed. "Why would the Foot be interested in a blood bank?"

"Who cares?!" Raph punched his fist, a smirk on his face. "Let's go give them a taste of their own blood!"

Sophie chuckled, even if it wasn't that funny, but Leo seemed to agree with his brothers.

"Dad-" he began to shout but Splinter was already approaching, placing a hand on his eldest sons arms.

"Go my sons; I will entertain Miss Ahrens. We're going to watch our stories." the boys jumped into action, making sure they had their weapons before rushing out of the door. Leo, however, came to a halt before he could and turned around towards her-his mouth open like he was going to say something-but decided against it and ran after his brothers.

Sophie was left to stand near Donnie's computer, looking after them a little lost and to Splinter's surprise, not out of breath for someone who ran around a lair without stopping for ten minutes and had only stopped for a few seconds.

The rat stroked his beard with a small smile-the wheels in his brain beginning to turn-and placed a hand on her back, turning her around to face him.

"Now, Miss Ahrens." Splinter began, leading her not to the couch area-as much as he wanted to watch the continuing tale of New York's Ninety-Nine Precinct-but to the dojo. "Have you ever thought of learning a martial art?"

* * *

 **Yeah bonding between Leo, Raph and a little of Donnie! And referenced bonding with Splinter watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine; the next thing she's going to get him hooked on is Buzzfeed Unsolved and if it doesn't work; well she had other four turtles she can try it with. That's on her list definitely.**

 **Also there isn't a place where they shower, according to the videos of the lair Paramount released showing it, so I had to create one.**

 **The part where Splinter draws a katana to shank the two of them was from a post about TMNTxreader smuts, and the bit of them where they're doing it in the lair. It's a given take that the boys aren't there and if they are then how do they not hear them and beat whoevers doing that to their brother?**

 **But no one specifies if Splinter, who hardly leaves, is in the lair. So he would totally shank whoever's fucking his son, then shank said-son.**

 **Also self spon: I also a ko-fi you can donate too if you like: Ayem0745 and if that doesn't work just Ayem.**

 **Okay the chapter's over now.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Guess who's back; back again with another super late chapter sorry.**

* * *

 _Three Months Later_

"You know- _ah!_ -when you said if I ever- _oof!_ -thought about learning a martial art- _hah!_ -I didn't know you meant right then and there!" she threw herself on the floor, dodging another whack of his tail and rolling to the side as it came down to strike the floor exactly where her head had been only a few seconds before.

Splinter didn't fuck about. The minute she had stumbled over her words to answer his question three months previous, he was on her. If she hadn't seen the movement of his fist she would have been thrown into the dojo with a black eye. Apparently her reflexes- _thank you, video games!_ -was a very good sign.

And so her training began.

Sitting wedged between two giant turtles with arms the sizes of coconuts was how she found her afternoons since, watching the brothers spar on the sidelines then spending their patrol time training with Splinter, someone actually close to her weight and less steroid filled then Michelangelo, the closest to her in height. She was beginning to think they were catching on to the fact that she was training, because her arms were definitely toning out and she could lift three heavy bags of groceries without having to lie down after.

Also her 'I'm just curious' lie about suddenly appearing in the dojo did not go forgotten, which was probably why the four turtles were currently hiding on top of the rafters to watch. In normal circumstances, they-the support beams-wouldn't actually be there but after the destruction of the last lair and the hours it took to salvage their precious weapons from the rubble Donnie thought it best to install strong support beams that could make the dojo less...destroyed if it ever happened again.

"It's best to not delay things as important as this, Miss Ahrens. Especially under these circumstances." he replies in that way of his, "You do not have the years my sons took to perfect their skills, and they are still learning each and very day. Of course once this is all over you may continue your training, and I will be glad to become your Sensei permanently."

She smiled. "I thought you already were?"

He laughed at that. "Then I am honored to be, and you have my word I will train you to the best of my abilities."

"Hai, Sensei!" she grinned and threw herself back into her training.

 _Okay, I can do this._

* * *

 _Ugh..._

"Should we get some ice?" Mikey asked, placing his hands on his knees and squatting to peer down at her.

It was either a rhetorical question or he was asking his brothers, regardless she wasn't going to dignify that with an answer. All she did was let out a throaty groan of pain causing a sympathetic wince to come from Leo and a self-neck rub from Donnie.

Raph decided to chuckle instead, crossing his arms. "Nah, she seems fine."

"Shut your whore mouth, Raph." she moaned and finally pulled herself up into a sitting position.

Her entire body ached; it seems Master Splinter was much rougher with her on that day then any other. It could be the said for every single day before if you had never saw their work out routine, but this time she hadn't been able to actually reach a piece of furniture to collapse onto.

"I find meditating helpful." Leo pitched in but immediately regretted it once her glare locked onto him.

"Not all of us can have your arms, Leo."

He looked at each crossed bicep and smiled to himself.

"You know what you could have done?" she turned her head towards Donnie, ready to hear some scientific fact that she didn't want to hear, "A warm up BEFORE you started training. That way you wouldn't be lying on the floor now unable to get up."

Okay she wasn't expecting _that._

"I _did_. Keep talking and I'll show you a picture of a crow again, Donnie." he stepped back and it felt, from her position on the floor, that the four brothers slowly grouped closer together.

And she was certain, _so certain_ , that the second-youngest brother let out a whineful 'no' at the thought of the winged-animal. If Sophie had learned anything from her time in the lair it was that if ordinary turtles were afraid of something, so were the mutated boys. It was ingrained in their biology, mutant or not, that they would be afraid of the same things. Like crows.

Not all things of course, anyone would be afraid of fire and alligators. But it was funny to know that the ninjitsu-trained mutant turtles who had killed people before were also afraid of birds. They couldn't even watch the rest of Dumbo (which is how she found out).

"Okay let's go." Leo was the first to snap out of the fear of the creature, squatting and scooping her up into his arms like she weighed nothing. And she probably did, to him anyway. She wrapped her arms around his neck as a security measure, a plea to not drop her.

He walked out of the dojo and placed her, ever so gently, on the sofa so she had it all to herself. She began to giggle cheerfully, but it suddenly ended as quickly as it had began when he effortlessly lifted both legs and sat down, dropping them onto his lap. A winced escaped her before she glared at him, but he just sent a cheeky wink in return. How dare-

"So, while Little-Miss-Always-Tired here rests her aching legs, why don't we play a game?" Mikey plops down onto the floor, leaning against the arm chair next to her head. She glares at the back of his own at his little comment but is stopped from flicking him by a small throaty chuckle from Leo. She turns her head to look at him just as he lifts his head up from staring at his lap and the two make eye contact.

He arched an eyebrow, still with that post-chuckle smile on his face, and a softer version grew on her lips.

"A game? We're not eight anymore Mikey." Raph grumbled, but takes a seat anyway, making Sophie and Leo take their eyes off each other. Donnie shrugged and took the last seat.

"Come on it'll be fun!" the orange clad turtle was adamant, so she sighed and shrugged.

"Okay Mikey, what do you want to play?" she asked.

"Marry-Fuck-Kill."

His grin was mischievous but it soon fell when Master Splinter shouted from his room while deep in meditation.

"Michelangelo!"

"Dad!" was his whiny response and even the group laughed; she giggled, hiding her mouth behind her palm. Raph let out a deep bellied chuckle, Donnie snorted and Leo let out a huff of amusement.

"Sophie you're first." Raph was the one who decided to take the initiate, grinning. "Marry-uh...Sleep-Kill; Mikey, Leo and...the Falcon."

The name seemed to set the other three boys off and she watched, stunned, as the boys began to flap their arms like birds. Sophie had to lean her head back to avoid getting accidentally punched by Leo, which would have surely killed her, as he copied his brothers. They began to mimic the bird, letting out loud 'caw-caw! caw-caw!' and Raph chuckled.

"He's not even here, numb-nuts," but he smiled nonetheless. "Anyway, that's your options."

"Well firstly kill the Falcon straight away; I knew the minute I watched that interview from the Sacks incident that he couldn't have saved New York. I could say I saved the city and it'll be more believable; he's just so...puny." she wrinkled her nose and Leo laughed, tapping her leg.

"You've got us there." Leo replied, squeezing her knee with a nod. "Man couldn't even kill a fly."

"Poor old man." Mikey shook his head in sorrow and she giggled.

"Okay, answer the rest of it; Marry or Sleep, Mikey or Leo." Raph asked.

"Hmmm."

She honestly had to think for a moment; because both would be great marriage material, as partners and later as husbands. Mikey would, without any hesitation, bring humor and laughter into the union. Not that Leo wouldn't, but he was too stuck up, to put it into words. Oh, she liked him and he would treat her or any other lucky woman like a Goddess or God if he was into men, but the turtle had to loosen up a little.

He was now, without any threat to his family, which was another point in his corner but so was Mikey, in a 'living in the moment' kind of way. Leo was more 'living to survive' and she did not like that at all, although it wasn't his fault in the slightest. And both would be undoubtedly loyal, she knew that right off the bat.

Her silence had gone on long enough, as the boys stared waiting for an answer, and she nodded in confirmation;

"Mikey."

"Yes!" he fist-bumped the air and Leo looked at her with mock horror.

"I saved your life!" he gasped. She couldn't help but begin to laugh as he continued, "I dedicated my life to the lord and savior Jesus Christ and this is the thanks I get!"

She burst out laughing even louder, holding her side and nearly falling off the couch. Leo smiled.

"Really man, vines?" Mikey said, "I don't think you even quoted it properly!"

Sophie shrugged. "Does it matter? It was funny."

"No don't gloss over what just happened! Who in the world showed you vines?" Donnie said in surprise.

Sophie smirked and looked at him right in the eye. "I did, bitch."

Donnie looked a little horrified, but Raph decided to focus on something else. "Really?"

"Really what?" she asked.

"Mikey. You'll marry Mikey." he chuckled. "I wasn't expectin' that; I was thinkin' you would sleep with him then pop off across the hall back to your husband's room."

She gave a fake gasp, making it sound like she was insulted. "Are you insinuating I would cheat on your brother with your other brother?"

"Yeah Raph, why would you be so insensitive?" Leo joined in, before grinning. "Why?"

He said it so nasally Sophie laughed at the reference. "Why?" she copied.

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Okay stop!" Raph groaned in the middle of their giggling and with no hesitation picked up the pillow from behind him and threw it in their direction. For a brief moment she thought it would hit her straight in the face and with the force of his throw knock her out, but Leo's hand came and caught it before it could make contact. He glared at his brother, who shrugged but looked almost guilty for not pulling back his arm.

"So, what's this about Mikey being a bad husband?" Donnie got them all back on track. "As true as it could be."

Yeah!" the said-turtle tried to stick up for himself, but his brother's words made him backtrack. "Hey!"

"Hey, Mikey can be mature when he has to be!" she said, "Watch, it'll happen someday."

"Ha!" Raph snorted. "Someday."

"I didn't mean it like-oh nevermind."

"I'll fight you for her hand, Michelangelo." Leo threw his arms around her, grinning jokingly down at his youngest brother, who jumped up at his declaration. The shining allure of competition was right in front of him and he was almost giddy with excitement.

"I'll wrestle you for her hand, Leonardo." he said almost as serious as said-turtle would have been and Leo chuckled darkly, letting go off her and slowly standing up, allowing her legs to fall down onto the couch. He towered a little over Mikey, who did not seem intimidated by him at all, probably used to it by now and so he stood there with his arms crossed, a smirk on his face.

"Is that so, brother?" Leo's voice had dropped in tone, and Sophie sat up in astonishment just hearing how husky it had become. It was...arousing, in a way that she hadn't felt in a long time. Probably since that night she-

Her eyes glanced over to his biceps and shivered.

And in the short time she had once again was reminded and therefore taken in the view, Leo had rocketed from zero to sixty so fast Mikey had no idea what hit him until he was across the lair, on his back. The noise of his shell hitting the floor concerned her for a mere moment but when he jumped back up, eyes wide but in no serious pain, she relaxed.

If she had looked, peeked over to where Mikey had landed, she would have seen the piles of blankets that needed washing at April's place that had not been moved into the bag, and the now broken skateboard underneath.

It seemed to be something the boys regularly did, throwing each other this way and that, using the fact their shells were hard enough to withstand anything (except the boots of the Shredder, it seemed) and they did it in such a way that it was like they had barely moved at all.

Leo made no sudden move to wrestle his brother, instead he sat back down again. She moved her legs out the way herself and kept them where they were, bent at the knee, because he suddenly crossed his legs and leaned his chin in his hand, a shit-eating grin almost identical to the one he had given her three months ago on his face.

"Well, it seems I won." he looked at her and winked, pupils blown for some reason. Was he aroused by the thought of fighting?

She didn't even have time to register it before Mikey sat back down in his seat, "That wasn't fair dude, not by a long shot." he groaned, but neither of them were paying attention.

And in that moment, still staring at Leo and thinking about how he had thrown his youngest brother across the room like it was nothing, she felt rather small. The four of them, except for the youngest turtle, felt huge compared to her in both height and muscles. She felt tiny in comparison to them, even though she was the same age. Which reminded her (like her brain decided to make her change course of thought from Leo to this) that she hadn't really asked them when their birthdays even were.

 _Did they celebrate their birthdays as quadruplets? Or were they even related at all?_

Her screwed up thinking face caught Leo's attention and he nudged her knee. The look in his eyes gone as suddenly as they had appeared, making her briefly think she had imagined it. "What's with that face?"

"I was thinking...well, do you all share a birthday? I mean I gather you're from the same clutch of eggs, so..."

"No." Donnie's the one to answer for them, "Well, yes. I ran some DNA tests on us all years back and found out we are biological brothers-"

"But that wouldn't have mattered." Leo butted in and the purple clad turtle glared at his interruption.

"No, it wouldn't have. Anyway, Dad wanted us to have a day each we can celebrate our birthday, but keep it in the same year. We're all 18, like you, but in a few months Leo will be 19, followed by Raph, then me, then Mikey." he smiled.

"You all have separate birthdays then?" she said, but something was bugging her about the way Leo shifted, and how Raph sighed, and how Mikey kind of curled up into himself. It wasn't that they didn't like having their own days, she knew that deep down they liked it very much, but it just felt...odd.

"Yeah," he smiled. "Unfortunately for me you're older by 18-19 days, depending on if there's an extra day in June that year; July 18th is mine. Mikey's is 1st October, because Dad wouldn't let us pick a holiday for us to celebrate our birthday on," he sent a look at Mikey who placed his hands up in surrender.

"Hey bro, can't blame me for trying."

"Raph's is April 22nd, and Leo's is 3rd March." Donnie continued. The flinch she felt travel up her legs caused her to turn her head and blink, startled, at the ones underneath her own. "Dad chose January, as you already knew. He said he liked the month because it reminded him of new beginnings."

"Wow, you must be rather proud of yourself for remembering _that_."

To her surprise the snide comment came from Leo, who's arms had made their way to the back of the couch to use as arm rests. He was leaning backwards against the cushions glaring at his brother with a hurt look, turning the irises from a light cobalt blue sky to rings of cerulean fire.

And what's when it hit her.

She leaned up a little to look into the kitchen, which was close enough for her to look at the calendar attached to the fridge. It was the 3rd today, and in the small box the date belonged too was the looped writing that belonged to Master Splinter, if the use of his eldest sons full name was anything to go by.

 _'Leonardo's 19th Birthday'._

"Oh _fuck_ Donnie." the turtle seemed oblivious to what he had missed, or had forgotten, because he just looked at her with a little bit of confusion but his face was otherwise blank. "What day is it today?"

"Uh..."

Mikey's shoulders dropped and he shook his head, "Come on dude."

Even Raph slapped his hand into his forehead at his brother's stupidity and even Leo seemed to tense up beneath her. She wanted to comfort him, but even she had forgotten (although in her defense, she had not known) and didn't think it was best to try anything.

 _Oh poor Leo._

It seemed his brother's reactions helped him a little, as he froze before slowly growing pale. "Oh crap, Leo I'm so sorry."

"You remember birthdays and even what Master Splinter said to us nearly 13 years ago and you couldn't even remember what day it was?" he growled in response, "Why do you think we were heading to April's tonight WITH him? Which reminds me, we should be going." he stood and any and all playfulness was gone.

It all suddenly felt awkward, and she shared a look with Raph and Mikey who both thought the exact same thing.

"Right, I'm gonna get some fresher clothes on." she stood.

"Why bother? You're going up to April's to shower anyway." Leo had not looked away from Donnie as he spoke, and she felt the tension in the room start to rise and reach it's boiling point. If someone didn't do something soon an actually fight will take place in the lair, and she had no idea who would actually win that one.

"Well, I'm going to grab some fresher clothes."

And so she ran.

* * *

Leonardo had not meant to make the evening end on a sour note, but just the thought that his own brother had forgotten his birthday infuriated him. He saw in his eyes he felt guilty, of course he realized it, and Sophie even more. Which rather confused him.

She wasn't to blame; she had no idea when their birthdays even were. Wait, maybe that's why she was blaming herself?

In retrospect she hadn't realized it had been Master Splinter's chosen birthday two months ago and completely bi-passed the sudden secretive nature Raph and Mikey had going on when they were trying to buy himself presents without him realizing what they were. Which is probably why she fled the scene as fast as she could. She also could have felt that he was going to throw a punch (or really, really wanted too) at Donnie and wanted to flee before it got out of hand. Both options were possible.

Or, a tiny part of him called out, she got uncomfortable.

When she had picked Mikey to marry in that stupid game it left him feeling...he didn't know what. He had tried to joke about it, but the urge to pummel his youngest brother left him feeling slightly nauseous, and when he had finally realized it he had already picked him up. His eyes had widened and in a last ditch effort not to kill him, he threw him in the direction of the pile of laundry he had still not put in the bag to take to April's and had instead left on the floor in a massive pile.

He also knew underneath all of that that was his skateboard, and so he threw in a little lesson on doing chores when asked by throwing him onto the laundry. The snap of the now-broken skateboard startled her and her eyes had widened in fear for a few seconds but when Mikey stood up, laughing, she had relaxed. He wondered if he knew what he had just broken, but didn't bother asking.

When he had sat down though and looked at her, she was looking back intensely, pupils blown. He couldn't tell why or didn't really understand why she was looking at him like that, but he liked it. He liked that she was looking at him, only him, like that. It made him feel the tickle of butterflies in his stomach.

But then she had pulled a face and the look had gone. He would like to see it again someday.

Then they had went onto the topic of birthdays and his attention had drawn to Donnie's ignorance and stupidity.

He ignored him on the way to April's, instead pulling back to ask Mikey if he was all right and apologizing for throwing him so hard, but his youngest brother had just laughed and shrugged it off. He didn't look to be in pain, so Leo relaxed.

"There's road work a bit too close to the manhole in the alleyway next to April's." Donnie said, ignoring his eldest brother and talking directly to his father.

Master Splinter pondered for a moment, stroking his beard, before he answered; "Then the rooftops are the only way, my son."

Sophie, carrying her bag full of her own clothes that needed to be cleaned, looked surprised. "Are you sure, Master Splinter? Not that I don't doubt your ability to travel via roof but...you're old."

Raph elbowed her gently and snorted.

His father just chuckled in response, not feeling any kind of offensive at her words. "Let me put this into words you young ones would understand; If I can still kick my yours and my son's asses, Miss Ahrens, I can travel by rooftop. Can you?"

"I...I've never tried, Sir." she said as Donnie unscrewed a manhole cover and one by one, they climbed up. Immediately she inhaled the fresh air of New York City, which even though was vile was much better then the sewers and what she had to breathe in. Leo was actually concerned she would become ill one day, but Donnie had reassured them all that the lair was suitable for human habitation. It was just travelling through the sewers that was the problem.

"Would you like too?" Splinter dusted of his robes.

She paled at the thought, "Absolutely not, I have short legs."

"So do I."

"You've been a ninja for nearly a decade."

"You do have a point, Miss Ahrens."

Then, probably to show off, he began to scale the building nearly as fast as his sons before standing at the top as suddenly as he had moved. He smirked down at the gaping girl who was stood, spluttering.

"I-you-Leo!" she whined.

He laughed as his brothers slowly began to follow their father, leaving the two of them standing in the alleyway. "What do you want me to do?"

"Carry me!" she placed her arms in the air, "and do it quickly I think I saw movement in that window."

The threat of someone seeing him made him the second of the group to make it up the building as he shot up past his brothers, Sophie in one arm who was holding tightly to his neck but loose enough that he could breathe. She remained like that the entire journey to April's, when the brunette let them in and he deposited her onto the carpet in the living room.

"Hi April, hi Casey." she greeted and all April had to do was give her a thumbs up, signalling that the bathroom was available, before shooting off the door slamming behind her.

"Hey April." he greeted, accepting the hug she gave him after she had finished hugging his brothers and father. Mikey had immediately went towards the pizza waiting for them while Raph had went straight to the beer, clapping Casey on the shoulder. Donnie had just taken a seat in front of one of the TVs, accepting the can of beer thrown his way by the red clad turtle and Splinter took a seat in the ottoman leaving him standing at there, not knowing what to do until she came over.

"Happy birthday, Leo!" she said cheerfully.

"Yeah happy birthday, buddy!" Casey called, "Come and get a beer!"

"We'll have some cake once Sophie's finished then we'll start the party, but first-" she took the bag of the boys clothes, "-I'll go put these in the washer, be right back." and then she was off, leaving him to wonder towards Casey, accepting the can.

The boys had only been drinking alcohol for about a year, but only for special occasions like birthdays in the presence of their father who could watch their intake; unfortunately for him, they were all heavy weights and could only begin to feel tipsy at their 6th-7th can, as they had found out on Mikey's birthday last year when they had, as brothers, taken their first group drink.

He cracked it open and took a mouthful, hearing the dull sounds of the TV and the water hitting the drain in the bathroom. She never took long in there, only about 10-15 minutes.

Wait, why had he been keeping count?

In a matter of time, and proving him right even though he felt it was wrong, she came out in fresh clothes and all her dirty ones in the bag. "Thanks, April." she smiled as the older woman took it.

"No problem." she smiled back, "Your clothes from last time are dry too, so you can take them back to the lair tonight. Same goes for you boys, now." she clasped her hands together, "who's ready for cake?"

A chorus of 'yes' went about the group and she laughed, walking back into the kitchen. Sophie followed to help transfer her clothes into the washer and the clean ones from the dryer into the bag, leaving the boys to entertain themselves.

April came out with a chocolate cake with two candles in the center, '19', and the words 'Happy Birthday Leo' written in white icing. He sat in the middle of the sofa and as April placed it on the coffee table they all gathered around and began to sing. Half of them were terrible singers and some were not that bad, but he wasn't going to name them. He was nice like that.

When he blew out the candles everyone cheered and clapped, and April took the cake away to cut in pieces. He remained in his seat and Donnie took that opportunity.

"Leo."

He sat down next to his brother and fidgeted a little, eyes darting around the room. He was never good at things like this, even though he was confident as he could be in every other area. He was just a dork.

Leo sighed and clapped him on the back. "Don't bother Donnie, I know you regret it and I've already forgiven you. Just gives me the chance to forget your birthday too, for once anyway."

He chuckled. "I don't think you ever will forget anything important to you; it's not in your nature."

 _Maybe he was right._

"But I'll make it up to you, I will." Donnie nodded and Leo could see his mind was already conjuring gift ideas he could make him. "I know you won't forget my birthday, but I won't mind if you don't buy me a present this year. As revenge."

"I'll try to remember." he winked. The two smiled at one another, everything forgiven with just that one gesture, before Donnie excused himself to talk to April and Leo watched him go with a sigh.

"Vern couldn't make it tonight," Casey suddenly said to his left, drawing his attention. "Don't know why, didn't ask. He wanted us to tell you 'happy birthday' though."

"Tell him thanks." he replied, taking another mouthful.

Sophie came out of the kitchen, giving Donnie a nod of acknowledgement as she passed, placing her bag near the window and handing Splinter a cup of tea. He whispered a 'thank you' to her over the noise from the TV, which he had changed to a soap opera much to Mikey's distress, even though he was focused on devouring all the food.

She smiled back at his father, one that seemed more genuine then the ones she had given in the past. Maybe because Master Splinter just had that more comforting presence then anyone else; surely he and his brothers were more menacing at first glance considering they carried around weapons and had arms that could crush anyone's head like a coconut or snap limbs in half. If he was anyone else he would share her same sentiments.

So yeah, it would be understandable she was more comfortable with his father then with him or any of his brothers.

But when he went to bin his third can before gifts were handed out (from the people who had remembered and brought some) he would learn how wrong he was.

"I thought you didn't like people touchin' you." Raph of all people (who had an uncanny skill of being rather observant in situations like these) had asked her, mouth full of cake. He wanted to go over and scold him for being so impolite but something kept him from leaving the kitchen and doing just that. "Hated it, even."

"Yeah-?" he heard her ask, probably with an eyebrow raised.

There was a few seconds of silence from the other side, a cough from Master Splinter who must have been giving him a look before Raph finally swallowed the food in his mouth, as his next words were must more clearer;

"Leo's touched you at least seven times today and you haven't reacted once."


End file.
